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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Eligibility rules for the 74th Emmy Awards have been changed to align with the evolving industry, the Television Academy announced today.
``This year our Awards Committee has worked with industry colleagues to further define program eligibility for the Emmy competition,'' said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO for the Television Academy.
``We've made great strides in differentiating what is eligible for our respective competitions, in concert with ongoing changes in content development and distribution.''
The rules changes noted by the Academy's Board of Governors include eliminating episode length as a criterion for categories, and a change in the definition of films ineligible for Emmy competition.
Up until now, hour-long shows were treated as dramas and series with half-hour episodes were categorized as comedy, although producers and networks could petition for a switch.
Categorization based on program length for a comedy or drama series has been eliminated. Episode length will no longer dictate submission categories. Instead, producers will now determine category submission with the stipulation that the Television Academy's Industry Panel reserves the right to review the producer's preference.
Comedy and drama series are defined as programs with a minimum of six episodes in which the content is primarily comedic for comedy series entries or primarily dramatic for dramatic series entries.
In addition, the ongoing theme, storyline and main characters must be presented under the same title and have continuity of production supervision.
The exception is programming under 20 minutes, which must be submitted in short-form categories.
Any film placed on the viewing platform for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be deemed a theatrical motion picture and thus ineligible for the Emmy competition.
The Academy also announced changes in the stunts and voice-over categories and expanded entry eligibility for various professionals working on reality programming, animation and special visual effects.
A list of awards changes for the 74th Emmy Awards can be found at Emmys.com/rules/changes. The complete 2022 Emmy Rules and Procedures Book will be available at Emmys.com in January.