Netflix receives Emmy nominations

Netflix has received a string of Emmy nominations led by House of Cards, marking the first time that online-only series has competed in a major category at the prestigious television awards.

Netflix’s remake of the BBC political drama picked nine nominations, including one in the category of best drama – where it goes head to head with AMC’s Mad Men and Breaking Bad, HBO’s Game of Thrones, Showtime’s Homeland and ITV series Downton Abbey, which airs on PBS in the states.

Arrested Development, Netflix’s revival of the cult Fox comedy, also received two nominations, while its gothic horror series Hemlock Grove got two.

“We are overwhelmed with 14 nominations and honoured by a warm welcome which confirms what we have always believed, that great television is great television regardless of where, when and how it is enjoyed,” said Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Responding to the news, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said “Albania takes it up a notch,” in a post on Facebook. The comment is a reference to a famous 2010 New York Times interview when Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes dismissed the threat of Netflix by saying: “Is the Albanian army going to take over the world? I don’t think so.”