Outside the Beltway

Emmy Nods for Netflix

Steven L. Taylor · Thursday, July 18, 2013 · 2 comments

In a sign of the shifting TV times, CNN is reporting that House of Cards and Arrested Development have received Emmy nominations.

Update (Doug Mataconis): The New York Times has the details:

In the 65-year-old competition for Primetime Emmy Awards, the online streaming network Netflix officially joined its cable and broadcast counterparts on Thursday, picking up a best drama nomination for the political thriller “House of Cards.”

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who portray the scheming husband and wife at the center of “House of Cards,” were also nominated in the lead actor and actress categories.

The announcements represented the first time that a series distributed via the Internet, not television, was nominated for the television industry’s most prestigious statue.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said by telephone that he watched the nominations press conference in bed and was thrilled with the results. “The number of awards this morning was sort of a shock to everybody,” he said, adding, “We didn’t plan a big enough party.”

He said he was thankful that the Emmy voters were “so open to the idea” of Internet distribution.

“In a way, it solidifies that television is television, no matter pipe brings it to the screen,” he said.

Netflix had campaigned for nominations for both “House of Cards” and “Arrested Development,” the canceled Fox sitcom that it revived to much fanfare earlier this year. “Arrested” was not among the six shows nominated for outstanding comedy, but one of its stars, Jason Bateman, was included in the lead actor in a comedy category.

In another sign of the times, none of the nominees for Best Drama are from any of the three broadcast networks. They all hail from HBO, AMC, PBS (Downton Abbey), and Netflix.