The Emmys, which once were considered almost irrelevant to the general business of television, are now considered a yardstick of excellence that helps guide selective viewers’ watching choices. And in an age of on-demand television and more than 400 scripted series available to watch at any time, that means a lot.

Networks — led by HBO with The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City in the early 2000s — have increasingly turned to Emmy to burnish their brands. Basic cable networks AMC and FX have used Emmy nominations and wins for shows such as Mad Men, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story and Fargo to prove to viewers and to the industry that their fare is worth watching.

Moreover, as that reputation accrues, viewers who seek out premium programming are more likely to check out other offerings on those networks because they know they’ve liked what they’ve already seen.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “[a]lthough the Emmy has always been coveted as the TV award most recognized by the public because of the annual telecast of its ceremony on broadcast television, its role as a marketing tool has been magnified in the medium’s new, complicated universe.”

“It is more pronounced now,” Gary Newman, co-chairman of the Fox TV Group, told the paper. “In excess of 400 scripted series will be launched or returned this year. In a market that crowded, an Emmy nomination or especially an Emmy win can be a powerful differentiator. Anything that you can do that gives you a stamp of quality I think is really important.”

Now streaming services are turning to Emmy to shine their brands, and to a large extent, that effort is working. Netflix has two shows nominated for outstanding drama this year — House of Cards and Orange is the New Black — while no broadcast network has one. And Amazon is a strong contender to win the Emmy for outstanding comedy with Transparent, starring Jeffrey Tambor as an older man who’s transitioning to female.

Overall, Netflix has 34 nominations this year, while Amazon has 12. By comparison, HBO leads the field with 126, followed by ABC with 42, NBC and CBS tied with 41, FX with 38 and Fox with 35. With its 34 nominations, Netflix nearly tied Fox and has to be considered a major player, a feat the service accomplished in less than three years after bursting on to the scene with the Kevin Spacey-starrer House of Cards in 2013.

At the Creative Arts Emmys held last Saturday night, HBO continued to dominate, winning 29 overall awards, many of which were for its documentaries, such as Scientology exposé Going Clear, and made-for-TV movies, such as Bessie, which won four statues. The premium network’s epic drama, Game of Thrones, won eight categories, the most of any series. That puts Game of Thrones in a strong position to claim the outstanding drama trophy this Sunday night at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmys on Fox, although AMC’s Mad Men, in its seventh and final season and a four-time outstanding drama winner, also is in contention.

The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs this Sunday on Fox at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET.

Read more: The Los Angeles Times

Brief Take: The Emmys have become more than just an award, they are now a TV seal of approval that viewers take seriously. That makes them a strong tool in marketers’ arsenal.

Cube image of Fargo creator and executive producer Noah Hawley and executive producer Warren Littlefield courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

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