The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which is in charge of handling the annual Emmy Awards for daytime television, sports, news, and public service, launched a broadband division as part of last year's ceremony. Designed to recognize high-quality amateur video productions of the YouTube variety, the "Broadband Emmy" has partnered with MySpace.com to tap into the social-networking site's vast user base--the service estimates that 50,000 of its 80 million users consider themselves to be filmmakers.
MySpace has introduced a promotional page onto which its members are encouraged to submit their homemade Web videos, which will then be viewable by other visitors to the page. Experts in each of the Broadband Emmys' categories--Entertainment, News & Documentary, Business & Financial, Public & Community Service, and Sports--will then choose a select number of finalists whose videos will be submitted directly to the Emmy Awards themselves, with the News Corp.-owned MySpace footing the bill for the $300 entry fee.
The awards ceremony, at the 2007 Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards, will be held on June 14 and broadcast live over the Internet.
The Broadband Emmys are not to be confused with the "," which are bestowed each year upon companies that are making inroads in interactive television. Past winners have included TiVo and Cablevision.