Should YouTube Series Be Nominated for Primetime Emmys?

Welcome to the latest installment of One Moore Hollywood podcast! In this episode, our delightful hosts, Chris Moore, Katie Marpe, and Dennis De Nobile, delve into a topic that could change the future of television. They discuss what defines television today, how traditional media mixes with social media, and whether it's time for YouTube creators to be nominated for Primetime Emmys. 

But What Is Television?

A recent article in The Hollywood Reporter asked if YouTube creators should be afforded the same opportunities for awards and recognition as other creators of episodic television. 

A few days after this article came out, three popular YouTube web series petitioned to compete against late-night talk shows at the Emmys this year. One of these web series is Hot Ones, a talk show based on chatting over increasingly spicy hot wings that De Nobile used to executive produce. If this petition is successful, Hot Ones could be up against shows like Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert. 

This begs the question–what defines television? What makes episodic shows eligible for the Emmys? Is television legitimized depending on its distributor? As a self-distribution platform, does YouTube not count because there are no barriers to entry as there are with platforms like Hulu and HBO Max?

As there's no rulebook for answering these questions, people have varying opinions on the subject. Marpe, who wrote her Master’s thesis on streaming–specifically on nontraditional vs. traditional media and its effects on the industry–argued that alternative media does not mix well with conventional media. She reached this conclusion by studying how famous YouTube stars translated when they ascended to traditional television programming. The answer was: not well.

When she wrote this thesis in 2015, Marpe didn't believe there was enough audience crossover between YouTube and traditional television programming to be successful. However, the landscape has rapidly transformed. Nowadays, you're just a click away from accessing Max and YouTube on your SmartTV, which means accessibility is no longer an obstacle. This swift shift in accessibility is a testament to the constantly evolving nature of media platforms. 

As discussed in previous One Moore Hollywood podcast episodes, awards play a crucial role in giving creators legitimacy. If a show like Hot Ones could get the green light to be nominated for an awards show like The Emmys, it could pave the way for more independently created media to get the attention it deserves. "The establishment in Hollywood needs to wake up and realize it doesn't matter how people watch," Moore says. According to Moore, good content is good content, regardless of the distribution platform. The next Primetime Emmys, with its ability to redefine the norms, has the power to shape the next decade of Awards shows. 

Listen to the entire episode here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio.