YouTube has come a long way from being a simple and expansive place to upload and share videos. The service has grown into a massive online platform for anyone to share videos of just about anything from tutorial videos to cooking shows and beyond. Due to the popularity of certain channels it has proven to be a lucrative means for making profit for various YouTube content creators. Beyond uploading videos as a career, YouTube celebrities now also have the chance to win Emmy awards, as the Television Academy just announced that they are opening up their short form categories to allow more platforms for content which are eligible for nomination.
YouTube Red specifically is the service that is mentioned, but YouTube is not the only new platform which is included as Television Academy mentions that Adult Swim, AwesomenessTV, Maker Studios, Fullscreen as well as others will be considered for nominations too. The fact that online content such as popular channels from YouTube can now win Emmy awards is big news for those who create content on the platform. There are numerous creators who have subscriber bases in the millions and now that Emmy nominations are a factor, it could motivate other channels to improve their content. It could also inspire other new creators to strive for a nomination, which ultimately just means more high-quality content for viewers to consume.
For YouTube channels to be eligible there are a couple of different requirements that will need to be met. The channel will have to have a minimum of six episodes uploaded, and each episode will need to be no more than 15 minutes in length. There are also three different categories in which YouTube content creators can be nominated, which include best acting performance in a short-form original series, best short-form original series comedy or drama, and best short-form original series reality or non-fiction. The Television Academy also states that these new categories for online content Emmy nominations will be held at a separate event from the original Emmy awards, but that top highlights will be shown during the main event for everyone to see.