YouTube Shows Can Now Be Nominated for Emmy Awards

The Television Academy today announced some tweaks for the Emmy Awards. Among them is the expansion of the short-form category so that it will now consider programming from places like YouTube Red, Adult Swim, Maker Studios, and Crackle, among others. This means PewDiePie--who recently released his first YouTube Red show, Scare PewDiePie--can win an Emmy this year.

"Our governors recognize the volume of really exceptional work of our members and the people on other platforms," chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum told The Hollywood Reporter. "Look at the quality of talent working in this space. It's the responsibility of our organization to recognize that."

For the new short-form category, awards will be given for best performance by an actor and actress, as well as best overall shows in the genres of comedy or drama; variety; reality/nonfiction; and animation (via Variety).

The short-form category is defined as a show consisting of a minimum of six episodes, with installments running an average of 15 minutes or less and distributed over the air and/or through cable, satellite, or the Internet. The winners for this new category won't be announced during the main televised Emmys broadcast, but rather during a separate Creative Arts ceremony. Still, an Emmy is an Emmy.

Head to The Hollywood Reporter to read the full story and get all the details.

Digital content isn't totally new for the Emmys, as the awards event already accepts nominees for content from Netflix (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black) and Amazon Prime (Transparent), among others.