Emmys To Combine Minis, Movie Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Emmy Awards competition will be getting fiercer among TV movie and miniseries performers.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said Thursday that it will merge the leading and supporting acting categories for longform programming.

Starting with the 2013 awards, new categories for outstanding actor in a miniseries or TV movie and outstanding actress in a miniseries or movie will each include six nominees, equal to other performing categories.

Previously, the four movie and miniseries acting categories included five nominees each.

The TV academy already chipped away at the long-form categories last year, combining the outstanding TV movie and miniseries nominees into one field.

At the 2011 Emmys, Kate Winslet of HBO’s “Mildred Pierce” and Barry Pepper of ReelzChannel’s “The Kennedys” took lead miniseries or movie acting honors, while supporting awards went to Maggie Smith for PBS’ “Downton Abbey” and Guy Pearce for “Mildred Pierce.”