TV Academy bans Oscar-nominated programs from Emmy consideration

Variety

A number of documentaries have "double dipped," competing for the Academy Awards and the Emmys thanks to a loophole in the TV Academy's rules. Most famously in recent years, ESPN's O.J. Made in America and Nat Geo's Free Solo each went on to win Emmys after taking home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The TV Academy's decision comes after the Film Academy relaxed its rules to allow some streaming movies to compete at the Oscars because of the coronavirus shutdown. “The Television Academy supports the recent decision from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to allow feature films, originally intended for theatrical distribution but made available via streaming or video on demand during the current pandemic crisis, to compete at the 2021 Oscars,” the TV Academy wrote in a statement. “Further, the Television Ademy ruled in March that effective in 2021, programs that have been nominated for an Oscar will no longer be eligible for the Emmys competition.” Previously, the TV Academy argued that most of these documentaries are commissioned by TV networks, so it was up to the Film Academy to determine eligibility. “A documentary is often commissioned by a television network or studio that in the ramp up to its television premiere receives promotion on numerous platforms including theatrical appearances, in film festivals and awards competitions,” the TV Academy told Variety last year. “But so long as the documentary was conceived, financed and ultimately distributed as a television program, it is Emmy eligible… Why a television documentary is eligible for AMPAS’ feature awards is a question for AMPAS.”