The Television Academy today announced that with the reduced number of submissions in Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series over the past several years, its Board of Governors has voted to merge both awards categories into one Outstanding Variety Series category for the 2026 Emmy Awards competition.
For the first time, the merged awards category will be tracked so that nominees will be proportional to the number of submissions received for each format: Scripted Variety and Talk Series. Had the categories been similarly merged last year, the number of nominees in both formats would have been the same: two for Scripted Variety and three for Talk.
A tracked category also allows for an automatic split of the category when there is a resurgence in the number of variety programs. The categories would split without needing review or a vote from the board when both formats reach 20 submissions in any given year.
In addition, the Academy is reclassifying the Outstanding Variety Series category as an area award, which could result in multiple Emmy winners. In an area award, nominees are judged individually on their own merits. Instead of Emmy voters selecting one nominee to win, voters must answer for each nominee: “Does this nominee merit an Emmy? Yes/No.” Any nominee who reaches a 90% “Yes” threshold receives an Emmy, providing the opportunity for multiple winners in the category. If no nominee reaches the 90% threshold, the nominee with the highest “Yes” percentage receives an Emmy.
The 78th Emmys Rules and Procedures linked HERE.
Media Contacts:
Jim Yeager
breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy Foundation)
jim@breakwhitelight.com
818-264-6812
Download the press release here.
