2016 SAF Drama Awards To Use Revamped System, More Awards Up For Grabs (via Soompi)
SBS is changing its drama award categories, with effect from this year’s SAF (SBS Awards Festival) Drama Awards.
Previous years have sorted dramas into the categories of miniseries, drama specials (short dramas), and serial dramas (long dramas). Future ceremonies will instead have four categories: fantasy, romance, genre, and serial dramas. Each category will have its own Special Award, Excellence Award, and Top Excellence Award.
This year’s dramas have excelled in both ratings and cinematic quality. Works like “Romantic Doctor Kim,” “Doctors,” “Don’t Dare to Dream (Jealousy Incarnate),” “The Legend of the Blue Sea,” and “Dear Fair Lady Gong Shim” have all received a great amount of positive response, so it’s going to be a tough fight this year.
However, there have been criticisms about the new award system. It’s possible to be nominated for awards across all four categories, so there is talk that it is “no different from getting a joint award.” It is also the opinion of some that the addition of award categories dilutes the value of the awards. Furthermore, although the subdivision of categories can increase drama specialization, it may also temper hype for the awards ceremony since there are more awards to go around.
The 2016 SAF Drama Awards will be broadcast live on December 31. The MCs are Lee Hwi Jae, Jang Geun Suk, and Girl’s Day’s Minah.