Nominees will now be eligible for either Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. The ballots for lead and supporting actors and actresses in longform programming formerly included five nominees, but these newly merged awards categories will include six nominees each. According to ATAS, "Adding a sixth nominee will provide consistency with the number of nominees in the other performer categories."
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Board of Governors voted to approve the change after a recommendation by the Performers Peer Group and the Primetime Awards Committee. The consolidation follows last year’s decision to merge the best TV movie and best miniseries Emmy categories into one.
Awards and nominations for lead and supporting performances by an actor or actress in a comedy or drama series will remain separate.
