Broadband Emmys to Go On Despite ATAS-NATAS Flap
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Sought Injunction vs. National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 7/10/2007 4:51:00 AM
Despite a turf war over the awarding of Emmy Awards for broadband content, the East Coast-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will proceed with its previously announced awards for news and documentary programming made specifically for that platform.
The awards could have been blocked by an injunction sought by the West coast-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. That trade group filed a federal suit, seeking outside arbitrators to decide what group has responsibility for broadband Emmys -- an issue that arbitrators are not expected to take up until October.
In the meantime, ATAS asked for an injunction on the presentation of awards until the legal wrangle has been fully decided. But a panel of arbitrators declined to issue an injunction Monday, so NATAS will present its broadband awards Sept. 24.
NATAS already announced nominees for categories including current news coverage; documentary/nonfiction broadband programming; arts, lifestyle and culture programming; and regional news coverage. Nominees include Frontline/World; The Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, MediaStorm, Song of Songs, Stagework, National Geographic and Newsweek.com.
NATAS will announce nominees in 28 more categories July 17.
Both ATAS, which is responsible for the Primetime Emmy Awards, and NATAS, which selects Daytime Emmy winners, have entered the broadband-award arena.
ATAS filed its legal challenge after NATAS announced in May that it was forming the National Academy of Media Arts & Sciences, chaired by former NBC Universal chairman Bob Wright. That peer group is soliciting members from the new-media community.
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