TV Academy didn't go far enough in banning Oscar-nominated programs from Emmy consideration

The Hollywood Reporter

The TV Academy's decision to ban Oscar-nominated programs is a good first step, says Scott Feinberg. But additional steps should be taken. "At present, a project that screens in movie theaters for a week is eligible for Oscars and also, if it subsequently airs on TV, for Emmys, too (this has heretofore manifested itself almost exclusively with documentaries). However, a project that airs on TV before it screens in theaters is not eligible for Oscars (this order of events rarely happens because movie theaters don't like to show, and moviegoers don't like to pay for, things that were previously available for free)," he says. "But why is the TV Academy agreeable to accepting any project that entered another contest first? Rather than disqualifying from the Emmys only projects that have already received an Oscar nomination, it should disqualify from the Emmys any project that even went through the process of qualifying to receive an Oscar nomination — that project clearly wants to be seen as a film as much as one that was nominated. And besides, why should a project that deserved an Oscar nomination but for inexplicable reasons didn't get one, such as 2017's Jane, be Emmy-eligible, but another project that deserved an Oscar nomination and did get one, such as 2017's Icarus, not be? Both were documentaries that received substantial theatrical releases before going on TV, and should therefore be regarded as films, period. If there is to be anything distinguishing the Oscars from the Emmys, then creators will have to pick a lane for their projects at the outset. This would benefit all parties."