Television Academy Announces New Rules for 2023 Emmy Season

The Television Academy continues to tinker with the rules for the Emmy Awards. Starting with the 2023 75th Annual Emmy Awards, the following major changes will be in effect:

• Members will no longer be able to place unlimited votes for categories. They will instead be capped at the number of nomination slots for that category when voting.
• The Variety Talk and Variety Sketch categories are gone. They’ve been replaced with the following:
  • Outstanding Talk Series
  • Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

Other changes are included in the full press release below.

The Television Academy today announced rules changes for the 75th Emmy® Awards competition to align with the dynamic and rapidly evolving television industry.

“The Television Academy’s Awards committee and Board of Governors carefully review Emmy rules annually and adjust and refine competition requirements, often with input from television leaders, to reflect and support the current industry environment,” said Frank Scherma, Television Academy Chairman and CEO.

The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved a number of changes as recommended by the Awards Committee for the 2023 Emmy Awards rules and procedures, including the following:

Cap on Nominations-Round Voting

The number of selections each voting member is allowed to make per category in first-round voting will now be capped at the number of nominations specified for that category. Members will no longer be allowed to vote for an unlimited number of selections in any category.

Revised Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Program Categories

The Variety Talk and Variety Sketch program categories have been replaced with the following:

• Outstanding Talk Series: Programs where a significant portion of the running time consists of unscripted interviews or panel discussions between a host/hosts and guest celebrities or personalities. A Talk Series can include scripted elements and other aspects of a variety series such as monologues, musical performances, etc., so long as the main intent of the program is interviews/discussions.
• Outstanding Scripted Variety Series: Programs that are primarily scripted or feature loosely scripted improv and consist of discrete scenes, musical numbers, monologues, comedy stand-ups, sketches, etc. Scripted Variety Series may occasionally feature unscripted elements, but the main intent of the series is scripted or performed entertainment.

Changes to Tracked Categories

The Single Camera and Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series categories have been combined into the tracked category Picture Editing for a Comedy Series. The Cinematography for a Single Camera Series (half-hour) and Multi-Camera Series categories have been combined into the tracked category Cinematography for a Series (half-hour).

In addition, a trigger has been added to all tracked categories such that during any year in which the number of submissions for each track is 20 or more, the category will automatically be split into separate categories for that year. In 2023 there will be 16 categories with tracks, which could potentially be split.

Finally, the minimum number of submissions required to include a nomination track in a tracked category has been changed to 5% of the total number of submissions but no less than three submissions.

Line Producers to Receive Eligible Credit for Variety Categories

“Line Producer” has been added as an Emmy-eligible credit in the following categories:

• Outstanding Talk Series
• Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
• Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
• Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

Migration and Creation of New Game Show Categories (previously announced Aug. 10, 2022)

In addition, the previously announced migration of Game Show categories to the Television Academy-administered Emmy competition will go into effect for 2023 as the result of the joint decision by the Television Academy and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to award game show programming categories by genre instead of daypart.

The new category of Outstanding Game Show will recognize programs with game elements taking place primarily in-studio and involving mental challenges. They must be self-contained or carry-over (winner continues to next episode) and cannot be arced. The new category of Outstanding Host for a Game Show will be awarded to the “master of ceremony” host(s) for a continuing performance in a game show.

To avoid confusion between Outstanding Game Show and Outstanding Competition Program (which awards programs with reality-style, skill-based competitions), the latter category has been revised to Outstanding Reality Competition Program. Additionally, game shows and reality competition programs with children as the sole contestants must enter in the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.

A complete list of awards changes for the 75th Emmy Awards can be found at http://emmys.com/rules/changes. The 2023 Emmy Rules and Procedures Book will be available at Emmys.com in January.