2015 Emmys Put Pressure on Traditional Networks

Didn you notice someone missing from last night's Emmy Award ceremony? How about the former "Big Three" -- ABC, CBS and NBC? Oh, they were there, but with the onset of original programming offered through Internet channels, their presence is more of a token than ever. (We've discussed in the past, at length, that this was coming.) It was hard enough for traditional, free broadcast channels when the cable networks entered the fight, but with the advent of Netflix and Amazon, the competition for market share just got that much stiffer.

Highlights from the 2015 Emmys included HBO walking away with awards in top drama and comedy categories with VEEP and GAME OF THRONES (including a Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage -- again, something we knew all along), with AMC putting in an impressive showing for MAD MEN. ABC and NBC both managed to snare a piece of the pie with Viola Davis taking the Best Actress in a Drama for HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER and Allison Janney scoring Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for MOM.

And then there was love for the online outlets. Netflix, who have basically changed the game when it comes to how people watch shows, made its mark with Uzo Aduba winning Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. But it was Amazon, who began offering original content in 2013, who surprised me when Jeffrey Tambor won the Best Actor in a Comedy for his leading role in TRANSPARENT, a show about a late-in-life transgendered person and his family relationships. (Jumping onto the Jenner train worked out better for Amazon than it did for CBS, whose inclusion of a transgender person on BIG BROTHER resulted in a train wreck.)

If you're looking for a complete list of nominees and winners, check out USA Today's write-up.