The Award Categories

Children’s programming is enjoying a renaissance. What were the top animated titles and formats that broke through in the past 12 months? These are shows that either enjoyed widespread domestic success, or made an impact internationally with sales across the board.

The top live-action children’s titles and formats that broke through in the past 12 months across both linear broadcasters and digital platforms.

The future is factual, that much is clear. Streaming services and cable channels have upped the ante when it comes to multi-part factual series. TBI honours the programmes – across both broadcast or digital – that have raised the bar in their execution, storytelling and/or access.

With new platforms opening up to cater specifically to short-form programming, and traditional players catching up with short-form commissioning of their own, this award recognises breakthrough content that is 15 minutes or less in length per episode.

This award salutes unscripted and scripted programming with outstanding on-screen and/or off-screen representation of LGBTQ, race and ethnicity and/or disability. These programmes cut through with either salient topics that touch on important issues affecting minority groups or feature representative casts and crews that elevate the production.

TBI honours content that broke through as truly integrated efforts between producer, broadcaster or platform and sponsor. These programmes work on every level and are prime examples of effective messaging combined with world-class storytelling.

Today’s distributors need to think on their feet and wear myriad hats. Does your distribution business employ a unique strategy that is cutting through and winning buyers over? Have you created a new financing model to power programming or leveraged technology to seal deals? TBI pays tribute to a distribution outfit raising the bar for what’s possible in the field.

This award salutes a company or organisation that has gone above and beyond when it comes to improving the TV industry's environmental impact on the world. From innovative solutions while out on location to cutting back on your carbon use in the office, TBI wants to draw attention to the sterling efforts being made to make TV in a sustainable way.

Consumption of streaming video is now universal and innovation in the technology used to provide TV over the web is crucial for content providers. This award will go to a content provider (or technology partner) that has delivered a ground-breaking innovation in the way video is delivered to consumers over the internet, whether that is a live-stream of a major event, a compelling consumer app or content discovery tool.

AI is increasingly used to enable shows to find their audience and to allow audiences to find the content they want to see. This award will go to the most innovative use of AI to enhance the life of a show, whether that relates to the development of the show itself, its marketing, enablement of discovery or another element of the content creation and distribution chain.

The full impact of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality on content creation and consumption has yet to be felt, but the dramatic growth in mobile consumption of video and continued interest in new ways of presenting and interacting with content means that the realm of extended reality is one that content companies can and must explore. This award will go to the most innovative use of extended reality in the field of video entertainment over the past year.

This newly created category highlights an individual or company who has shown an outstanding ability to succeed despite the challenges thrown up by the Covid-19 crisis. Whether using ingenious production methods to keep a show filming, embracing new tech to get a show delivered or introducing new workflows to ensure the well-being of their staff, this award honours those whose perseverance has inspired the industry.

As channels seek to stand out from the crowd with original programming and big-ticket acquisitions, often launching across several territories at once, we award the series that launched with the most buzz and which created the greatest ratings, marketing and social media impact.

As the golden age of drama continues, we recognize the breakout scripted series that has created the greatest impact around the world.

This award will go to a popular ongoing series that has shown great accomplishment across broadcast or streaming platforms this year.

Broadcasters still want big entertainment shows for their primetime schedules. Which format cut through in the last year to become a global success? Whether a shiny-floor entertainment show, a structured reality hit, a gameshow or an ob-doc that got remade in local markets, what was the standout international format of the past 12 months?

TV viewers are increasingly engaging with content – and their peers – via social media. These platforms have become crucial to programme makers and other video industry stakeholders as a way to market and distribute, as well as to assess the popularity of content and engage with audiences. The Social Media Award will go to the most innovative use of social media by a video industry player over the past year.

What was the outstanding international factual project of the last twelve months? Which show worked at home and then became a hit in international markets, which project was the most talked about?

From structured reality hit to ob-doc, what was the standout factual entertainment programme of the past 12 months?

Success is hard-won in the TV world. Repeated success is even harder. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an outstanding individual who has achieved the rare distinction of delivering, inspiring or executing innovation time and again over the course of their career to date.

This special award recognises an executive who has made their mark on the TV landscape across a specific area of expertise - from production and distribution, to commissioning or technology - leaving the business in a better place because of their work.

Do you have a hot shot in your company who always delivers, coming up with the innovations and ideas that keep your business buzzing? This is an opportunity to recognise those individuals – some of whom may just be starting their TV careers – who are set for the top.