The TV Academy has set a minimum length threshold of 75 minutes for films to be eligible for the TV Movie award, Deadline reports.
The move clearly targets standalone episodes of TV shows, which have dominated the category in recent years.
Sherlock special “Abominable Bride” and Black Mirror’s “San Junipero” and “USS Callister” are the last three winners in the category. Only “San Junipero” would have been ineligible under the new rules, with a runtime of 61 minutes.
The change is unlikely to stop TV shows picking up the TV Movie award, as opposed to actual made-for-TV movies, but their standalone episodes will now need to be of a more traditional feature length if they want to win Emmys.
In a raft of changes, the TV Academy also introduced a new category, Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special, and restructured its choreography categories.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on 22 September at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.
