BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Starz network has found an avid audience targeting what its boss regards as “underserved” viewers like women and African-Americans with high-quality series.

But much to Chris Albrecht’s exasperation, Emmy doesn’t notice.

“I was part of the team that invented how to campaign for Emmy awards,” the Starz CEO told TV writers Monday at the Television Critics Association meeting. “Trust me, it’s not a level playing field. I spent years inside the TV Academy, working it. It took a lot of money, and there’s a certain momentum that goes along with that.”

Starz, which has won audiences and critical acclaim for such series as “Outlander,” “Power” and “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” routinely gets the cold shoulder from the Television Academy.

It is happening again. Starz’ only 2016 Emmy nods are four technical nominations.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the work that is being done by the people on these shows,” said Albrecht. “They are award-worthy. Whether it’s an Emmy award or not is not the point.”

Albrecht thinks it’s the Television Academy that’s missing the point, failing to recognize what he called “an unprecedented time in our industry” with an explosion of deserving programs.

The Academy, he said, “should be finding a way to platform the diversity, to have something that reflects this expansion, and not have what is continually, by these sheer numbers, something that ends up with a longer list of losers and the same number of winners.

And sooner or later, there will be a Starz show that breaks through and scores Emmy love, Albrecht predicted. “You won’t know which one it is, and all of a sudden it will be the one.”


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