The Walt Disney Co., based in Burbank, came out with 86 nominations in the inaugural Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
That was just enough to top the 85 nominations received by Netflix Inc. in the first ever awards, which are set to be given out on Dec. 10 and 11 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
For comparison, competing streamer HBO Max, with offices in Culver City, came in with only 14 nominations, while Peacock, the streaming operation of NBCUniversal in Universal City, had just nine nominations.
Other production companies with nominations included YouTube, Hulu, Apple TV Plus, PBS and Paramount Plus.
Children’s and family content represents the fastest-growing genre that the National Academy, in New York., awards, with a 23% increase in related programming in the past two years. With nearly 3,000 submissions, the competition is now the largest that it oversees, according to a release from the Academy.
The National Academy is not to be confused with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the North Hollywood-based organization that puts on the annual primetime Emmy Awards.
In addition to the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards show, the National Academy is also responsible for the Daytime Emmys, and awards for sports, documentaries and news.
National Academy Chief Executive Adam Sharp said it was an exciting moment for the television industry to put a spotlight on children’s and family programming after years of unparalleled growth in content quality and quantity.
“These programs entertain, inform and educate family members of all ages, and (the National Academy) is proud to mark this milestone event and give these creators the stage they deserve,” Sharp said in a statement.
Out of the 82 nominations received by Disney, more than 60 were pulled in by Disney+, its streaming service. The others were for shows produced by Disney Channel, Lucasfilm Ltd., Pixar Animation Studios and Hulu, the company’s other streaming service. Its series “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “Sneakerella” led all programs, with 11 nominations each.
The categories that Disney’s shows have been nominated in include: Outstanding Young Teen Series for “Benedict Society;” Outstanding Fiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program for “Sneakerella;” and Directing for an Animated Program for “Dug Days.”