This past weekend, the Emmys awarded various television shows with awards, though I hesitate to say the "best of television" since at least one of the shows with a big haul - Modern Family - is a show that runs counter to my personal taste. Whether or not I agree with their choices, the Emmys have had roughly the same mission for the entirety of existence, give awards to programs on television.
I wonder how long it will be that this mission can remain the same. The other major awards shows don't have to worry too much about their formats changing very much. The Tonys can be comfortable knowing that Broadway really isn't going anywhere. The Oscars will remain the same since, no matter how movies are distributed, the format is quite consistent and theatres are still given priority. The Grammys might have to deal with a storm of change in how people get their music, but there hasn't been a fundamental change in what a song is for centuries.
The problem with the Emmys is that it's based on awarding the best of television. So, the question suddenly becomes "what is television," which is a question that no longer has a very clear answer.
It used to be easy to predict what television was. If you were cheap, it was whatever you could watch on an over the air broadcast. If you were not cheap, you could include the various channels included in a cable package, which gave a bit more variety. Right now, that's pretty much what the Emmys cover, broadcast television and cable.
But, that's not the only way you can get entertainment on your television. With the introduction of Netflix's streaming service in Canada, many people are just getting their entertainment online. Now, for a long time that has been strictly shows and films that have already been released, not a big worry for any major award shows. It's not like they're producing any original content that anyone would have to worry about.
Only, they have started doing exactly that. There's going to be an original series called House of Cards, which stars Kevin Spacey and is helmed by David Fincher. Speaking of awards, the former has an Oscar and the latter a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. These are not lightweights in their field, and it's the kind of show that people would predict is something that would get a nomination. But, it's also not on any traditional television service, even though in all other respects it's a traditional television show. Hour long dramas have long been a staple of the airwaves, but does this one count?
That's just one show, on one service. It can't be long before other shows start launching on similar streaming services. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple got into the game with exclusive programming on iTunes, and other network-owned streaming services seem like the perfect place to test pilots for new series. With the ever-increasing ways that content can and will be distributed, it becomes hard to know what the Emmys can even award their awards to.
So, can it still be about television when television means so many things to different people? I think it can, but the people in charge will need to examine the rules and redefine what they mean to recognize. Television isn't what it used to be.
