ESPN Leads Industry with 50 Sports Emmy Nominations

ESPN, Inc. once again led the industry in Sports Emmy Award nominations, earning 50 for 2016, announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). Leading the way:

• SC Featured received 10 nominations (second only to 14 for the Summer Olympics on NBC), including many for various individual features and in the News Anthology category (along with E:60 and Outside the Lines)
• College football totaled seven nominations - three for the COLLEGE FOOTBALL Playoff National Championship (Live Special, Technical Team Remote and Trans-Media Coverage for the "Megacast" which won last year), Live Series, two for Kirk Herbstreit (Studio and Event Analyst) and COLLEGE GAMEDAY for Weekly Studio Show. CGG has won the category six times, including the last three years.
• E:60 garnered five nominations, two for Short Feature and two for Long Feature, in addition to Sports News Anthology.
• Monday Night Football earned three nominations - Live Series, Live Graphics and Live Coverage in Spanish.
• Outside the Lines was nominated twice in the Journalism category, in addition to News Anthology.
• ESPN Deportes received three nominations - Futbol Picante in Spanish Studio Show and Andres Agulla for Spanish Talent, in addition to the MNF nomination above.
• ESPN's first-ever coverage of the Invictus Games received three nominations: Long Feature, Short Form Editing for the Opening Tease and in the Writing category.

The winners will be announced Tuesday, May 9, in New York. ESPN has won 180 Sports Emmy Awards in 29 years of eligibility. ABC Sports won 160 from 1980 - 2008.

As previously announced, sportscasting legend Brent Musburger, who in January stepped aside from his longtime role with ABC and ESPN, will be honored with the Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.

ESPN's 50 nominations by category (all are ESPN, except as noted):