Broadcasters and basic cable prove staying power at Emmys

Basic cable channel AMC was rewarded at the Primetime Emmy awards for "Breaking Bad" and broadcasters landed top honours, while pioneering streaming service Netflix Inc was shut out of the major categories on Monday.

Premium cable channel network HBO again dominated with 19 awards in total, 15 of them in creative arts categories handed out earlier this month.

Its only major acting award on Monday went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus for political comedy "Veep”.

Broadcast network ABC's "Modern Family" won best comedy series for the fifth consecutive time.

AMC, a unit of AMC Networks Inc, took home the best drama prize for the final season of "Breaking Bad," one of six awards for the network.

The most-honoured show, with seven awards, was "Sherlock: His Last Vow", on non-profit network PBS.

Emmy nods bring prestige in Hollywood and can boost viewer interest in shows, which, for most networks, helps attract more advertisers.

For pay-cable channels like HBO, Emmy recognition can drive higher subscription fees.

HBO, a unit of Time Warner Inc and long-time Emmy favourite, won for programs including "Veep," crime saga "True Detective" and AIDS movie "The Normal Heart”.

"I've worked at a lot of places in this town and it's absolutely my favourite place I've ever worked," Louis-Dreyfus said of HBO as she accepted her award for "Veep”.

Cable network FX, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc, collected its first series honour, the best miniseries prize for "Fargo”.

FX collected eight statues in total, for shows including "Louie" and "American Horror Story: Coven”.

"They seemed to be incredibly supportive of what we were doing," "Fargo" director Colin Bucksey said of FX.

"What we were doing was very difficult at times and took probably more time than would have been scheduled, but we needed it" because of snow and other factors, he said, of the show filmed in Calgary during a brutal winter.

Netflix, the digital upstart that burst into the Emmy race last year as it began a bold foray into original programming, didn't claim any of the major awards that were broadcast during the nationwide telecast on NBC on Monday.

The company earned seven Emmys in creative arts categories and a guest actress trophy for Uzo Aduba, who plays "Crazy Eyes" on dark prison comedy "Orange Is the New Black”.

The Netflix total ranked eighth among all networks.

Broadcast networks, which have been overshadowed at the Emmys in recent years by edgier cable fare, scored several top honours.

CBS earned 11, the second-highest total behind HBO.

Julianna Margulies, who won best drama actress for "The Good Wife," said the show's writers penned 22 episodes per season, compared to six to 10 episodes for cable competitors.

"The show is just as good as the other shows and these writers work just as hard so they deserve some Emmy love," Margulies said backstage.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co, won eight awards, Comcast-owned NBC earned 10 and Fox collected seven.

Fox and the Nat Geo cable channel also won four awards for "Cosmos," which aired on both networks.