Digital TV storms Golden Globes, ousting old favorites

By Jill Serjeant NEW YORK (Reuters) - Streaming services stormed the Golden Globe television nominations on Thursday with new shows such as "Narcos" and "Mozart in the Jungle," turning established broadcasters into also-rans as Americans move away from traditional television to online-demand viewing. Just three years after digital platforms plunged into original content television for the first time, Netflix landed a leading eight nominations for its shows and actors, ahead of usually dominant premium cable channel HBO. Two of Amazon.com's original video series, transgender comedy "Transparent" and behind-the-scenes classical music series "Mozart in the Jungle," earned five nods. Hulu, the ABC-NBC-Fox joint-owned online video venture, landed a best comedy series nomination for its modern dating show "Casual." Online streaming has revolutionized the television industry with bold content and by uploading full seasons of shows in one go, allowing viewers to watch at their leisure. Hulu's "Casual" is the only online nominee to release a new episode each week. None of the four major U.S. broadcast networks - ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX - are in the running for the coveted best TV comedy series Golden Globe award. Only one - Fox's hit hip-hop family drama "Empire" - will compete for best TV drama series. HBO, with seven nominations, took second place overall to Netflix, including its Emmy-winning series duo - White House comedy "Veep" and medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones." Old favorites like "Modern Family" and "Homeland" were shut out, while "Mad Men" and "Downton Abbey" garnered just single acting nods for Jon Hamm and Joanne Froggatt respectively. Netflix's TV nominations came from drug drama "Narcos," Aziz Ansari's comedy "Master of None," thriller "Bloodline," comedy "Grace and Frankie," women's prison comedy "Orange Is The New Black" and Washington political drama "House of Cards." "Narcos" co-creator and executive producer Chris Brancato said the nominations were "a signal that borderless, truly international television is here to stay." Members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, organizers of the Golden Globes, recognized a slew of new acting talent, such as Rachel Bloom, 28, star of the CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," who landed her first major nomination. Rami Malek, 34, earned a best actor nod for playing a cybersecurity expert with social anxiety on cable network USA's best drama series nominee "Mr. Robot." The show's creator and director, Sam Esmail, said the unexpected acclaim for the series "was definitely a twist none of us saw coming." Premium cable channel Starz earned six nods, including its "Outlander," a time-travel series set in the Scottish Highlands that put Ireland's Caitriona Balfe in the best actress race and garnered a spot in the best drama series category. "Just managed to scrape my jaw off the floor," tweeted a delighted Balfe. (Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)