Aces Mild ??

Why the cable industry gradually outgrew the CableACE Awards. (Hint: The Emmys.)

In recent years, it seems like cable networks have managed to dominate the quality-content discussion, even more so than the streaming networks that stole their idea.

In particular, HBO has had a run of hugely successful prestige shows of late, between?Succession,?Barry,?The Last of Us, and?The White Lotus—a lineup that seems unparalleled even as its parent company trims seemingly everywhere else.

But there was a time when HBO, despite airing high-quality shows even then, couldn’t even buy an Emmy. And that time was because of rules that restricted Emmy nominees to only the broadcast networks. What was a budding industry to do?

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Introduce its own awards ceremony, of course. Launched in 1978, the ACE Awards, later known as the CableACE Awards, honored the best in cable television. Launched by the cable industry’s primary trade group, the National Cable Television Association (now known as NCTA—The Internet & Television Association), the awards ceremony was a less prestigious affair than the Emmys for many years, but did much to honor the breadth and depth of cable television. (Some would argue it was?too?deep.)

But even amid all that, HBO and Showtime still remained the most prominent parts of the ceremony—as highlighted by the fact that Garry Shandling, who had successful shows on both networks, had a dozen CableACE Awards to his name.

Shandling did eventually win an Emmy—and even hosted the ceremony—after the organizers changed their rules to allow cable television shows in 1988. And that, eventually, did the CableACE Awards in. They were seen as a third-tier awards show, they got low ratings, and even the winners—like the creators of?South Park, which won in 1997—would literally mock the show while appearing on it.

Long story short, the show was transitional in nature—and by the time it ended after the 1997 awards, the cable industry didn’t need it anymore.

? Wanna learn more??Check out?our 2021 piece on the CableACE Awards, including links to C-SPAN videos of regional ACE Awards ceremonies from the ’80s.