The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that it is increasing the number of nominees from five to six for 10 of its Primetime Emmy Awards categories.

Some of the effected categories are best drama and comedy series as well as for best lead and supporting actor and actress in comedy and drama series.

The academy also announced that its two phase nominating process is no more. For the past three years, nominees in the top categories for series and acting were selected by narrowing the choices to 10 finalists, selected by the entire academy membership then finalized and narrowed to one winner by selected panels.

Now, the academy will return to its old methods where nominees in the drama and comedy series categories will be determined by votes of the entire TV academy membership, while nominees in the drama and comedy series performer categories will be voted on by actor members.

The academy’s accounting firm Ernst & Young recommended changing the number of nominees after viewing voting records, which showed that series categories often have featured six nominees because of a tie or very close vote.

Academy chairman and CEO John Shaffner says about adding a sixth nominee,

“There is so much great programming spread on so many delivery platforms because television is the populist medium, we wanted the Emmy Awards to be inclusive in the same populist manner.”

Author: Tessa Petrocco (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)