ESPN, Amazon, Netflix Take Home Oscars

By R. Thomas Umstead
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Lost amid Sunday night’s Academy Awards "Best Picture" anouncement debacle were Oscar wins for cable and online streaming services.

ESPN took home its first Oscar in the best documentary category with its documentary series O.J. Simpson: Made In America. The five-part, eight-hour series—which was screened at festivals and in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the Oscar—beat out a field that included Netflix’s criminal justice-themed documentary 13th.

"I am so proud that 'Academy Award-winning' is now the latest accolade for ESPN Films," said ESPN president John Skipper in a statement. "The breadth of the O.J. Simpson story captured by this film is astounding, and even those who thought they were familiar with this saga learned something new."

For the full story go to Multichannel.com.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.