Why a Reunion Between the Two Rival TV Academies Is Long Overdue

Home TV Awards Aug 18, 2026 2:15pm PT Why a Reunion Between the Two Rival TV Academies Is Long Overdue Awards Circuit Column: It's been 50 years since the Emmys split in two. Now the L.A.-based Television Academy and N.Y.'s National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences may finally combine again. By Michael Schneider Plus Icon Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large franklinavenue Latest Snips Partners With Banijay Rights and BIG Media to Turn Library Titles Into Short-Form, Vertical Episodes (EXCLUSIVE) 8 hours ago TV Academy Hall of Fame: Sheila Nevins, Absent Due to COVID, Thanks Dr. Fauci for the Vaccine; Bill Hader Pays Tribute to the ‘South Park’ Creators With a ‘Fish Dick’ Story and More 5 days ago Mayim Bialik on Reuniting With Her ‘Big Bang’ Co-Stars on This Week’s ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Episode 5 days ago See All The Sporting Press for Variety Last month’s news that the two rival TV academies are looking to reunite was welcome and overdue — but it won’t be as easy as flipping a switch. The Los Angeles-based Television Academy and the New York located National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences are run very differently, each having had 50 years to develop its own bureaucratic infrastructure. One insider tells me hundreds of items need to be ironed out before they can become one again. But that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t. Related Stories Digital Media Veteran Adam Boorstin Joins MrBeast's WatchTime Studios as General Manager