Deadline’s Contenders Television, which just wrapped its nine-hour telecast, broke ground in multiple ways. An invitation-only event held annually at a large theater, it went virtual this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The live-streamed presentation also set a record with its largest roster of participants ever, 44 shows from 22 studios and networks.
You can explore Deadline’s extensive panel-by-panel print coverage here.
In another first, Deadline on Monday will launch a Contenders Television streaming site featuring all the panel videos, which were pre-recorded with talent video-conferencing from locations around the world — from the Australian Bush (Russell Crowe), Rome (Willem Dafoe), and London (Cate Blanchett, among others) to the East Coast, the West Coast and all points between.
The impressive talent roster also includes Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Anderson, Ramy Youssef, Trevor Noah, Jim Parsons, Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner, Steve Carell, John Malkovich, David Harbour, Jerrika Hinton, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Hailee Steinfeld, Lucy Liu, Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, Derek Waters, Pedro Pascal, Claire Danes, Forest Whitaker, Rita Moreno, Will Arnett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Margo Martindale, Sarah Paulson, Robin Thede, Kathryn Hahn, Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Niecy Nash, Pamela Adlon, Marcia Gay Harden, 50 Cent, Monica Raymund, Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy as well as a slew of A-list creators, showrunners and producers.
They were interviewed by Deadline writers Pete Hammond, Dominic Patten, Peter White, Antonia Blyth, Dino-Ray Ramos, Anthony D’Alessandro, Amanda N’Duka and Joe Utichi, the latter of whom also hosted the virtual event.
Participating networks and studios include ABC Entertainment, Amazon Prime Video, AMC Networks, Apple TV+, Wiip, CBS All Access, CBS Television Studios, Comedy Central, Disney+, Disney Television Studios, Fox Entertainment, Freeform, FX, HBO, Hulu, Lifetime, Nat Geo, Netflix, Pop TV, Showtime, Sony Pictures Television and Starz.
This year, Deadline’s Contenders Television is making a donation, which is being matched by our parent company PMC, to the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, with a focus on the organization’s youth/arts programs; and to Campaign Zero, a national organization dedicated to police reform.
While the format has changed, Deadline Contenders Television’s goal has remained the same — we aim to make this a kind of one-stop shopping for industry voters who can sit down and get a taste of what will eventually appear on their awards ballots this Emmy season. The idea, as it has always been, is to provide a blueprint of the season that will serve as a catalyst for voters as they wade through the infinite numbers of TV achievements placed before them.
Sponsors and partners of today’s live-streamed Contenders Television event included Eyepetizer, Michter’s, Crop Organic Vodka and The Four Seasons Maui.
To those who tuned in today, thank you. To everyone who missed a panel or wants to see some of them again, check Deadline.com on Monday morning. Once the streaming site goes live, panel videos will also be added to each of the stories. Happy Father’s Day! [Source]