Emmy 2013: Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ scores a victory for online streaming

LOS ANGELES —  A television show you won't ever find on television made Emmy history on Thursday.

The Netflix political thriller "House of Cards" scored a nomination for best drama series when the 2013 Emmy nominations were unveiled in North Hollywood.

It's the first time that the 'best of' TV awards have recognized a show that's delivered online as equal to television's top programs.

Online streaming service Netflix released all episodes of House of Cards on February 1 to subscribers. 

Not a single episode has ever aired on broadcast TV.

Before 2008, the show wouldn't even have been eligible to be nominated for the Primetime Emmys.

The Academy which runs the awards program finally allowed shows distributed over the internet to compete for the top awards.

"House of Cards" earned nine Emmy nods in all, including lead actor and actress for the show's stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

"Breaking Bad" actor Aaron Paul and actor/preeminent awards show host Neil Patrick Harris presented the nominations early Thursday morning.

The other big winners were FX's thriller "American Horror Story: Asylum" with 17 total nominations and HBO's medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones", with 16 nods.

NBC's "30 Rock" had quite the send off by sweeping the comedy category. "30 Rock" earned 13 nominations for its final season.

Creator and star Tina Fey and co-star Alec Baldwin earned nominations in leading comedy actor categories.

"Behind the Candelabra," HBO bio film based on the life of musician Liberace, earned 15 nominations.

The show's stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon will compete against each other in the lead actor in a miniseries or movie category.

Other big winners on Thursday included Showtime’s "Homeland," AMC’s "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men," and HBO’s "Girls", PBS’ "Downton Abbey," ABC’s "Modern Family" and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory".

The Emmys are presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast on Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on CBS network.

Highlights of the 2013 Primetime Emmy nominations:

Outstanding comedy series:
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Modern Family"
"Girls"
"30 Rock"
"Veep"

Lead actress in a comedy series:
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Laura Dern, "Enlightened"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Lead actor in a comedy series:
Jim Parsons, "Big Bang Theory"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Jason Bateman, "Arrested Development"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

Supporting actress in a comedy series:
Mayim Bialik, "Big Bang Theory"
Jane Lynch, "Glee"
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"
Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"
Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"

Supporting actor in a comedy series:
"Adam Driver, "Girls"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"
Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"
Tony Hale, "Veep"

Outstanding drama series:
"Breaking Bad"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Downton Abbey"
"House of Cards"
"Mad Men"

Lead actress in a drama series:
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Connie Britton, "Nashville"
Kerry Washington, "Scandal"
Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"
Vera Farmiga, "Bates Motel"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Lead actor in a drama series:
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"
Damian Lewis, "Homeland"
Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom"

Supporting actress in a drama series:
Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"
Maggie Skmith, "Downton Abbey"
Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones"
Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"
Morena Baccarin, "Homeland"
Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"

Supporting actor in a drama series:
Bobby Cannavale, "Boardwalk Empire"
Jonathan Banks, "Breaking Bad"
Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey"
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland"