MIPTV: YouTube to Get Pioneer Prize

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that Google’s YouTube will receive its Pioneer Prize on Monday, April 7 at MIPTV in Cannes.

YouTube is getting the 2014 Pioneer Prize, which will be accepted on behalf of the company by Alex Carloss, head of entertainment, as a result of its “innovative contributions to the field of digital entertainment.”

The organization also unveiled nominees for its 2014 International Digital Emmy Awards, which will be presented on April 7th.

The 12 nominees hail from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Portugal, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

They are vying for Emmy awards in three categories: Digital Program: Children and Young People; Digital Program: Fiction and Digital Program: Non-Fiction.

“This year’s nominated programs represent every inhabited continent on earth,” said International Academy president and CEO, Bruce L. Paisner. “How fitting that we are presenting our 2014 Pioneer Prize to YouTube, a major agent of growth and distribution of digital content throughout the world since its creation in 2005.”