The Television Academy has unveiled its 2026 Emmy nominees in seven music categories, with newcomers making up a significant share of the field: 18 of the 54 nominees are first-timers, and only 12 have won previously. Composer Dave Porter earned his breakthrough recognition for Apple TV's "Pluribus" with three nominations, while film-scoring veteran Hans Zimmer, an eight-time nominee with two Oscars and five Grammys, could finally claim his first Emmy for co-composing the documentary score of "Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age."

Diversity figures were mixed this year: women's share of nominations fell to 15% (eight nominees) from 15% last year, while nominations for people of colour rose to 28% from 24%. Thirty-one programmes were selected from 417 entries, down from 480 the previous year, and "Mis Figuritas" from "Hacks" became the first Spanish-language song ever nominated. Only five of the 31 nominated programmes come from traditional broadcast networks. Final voting runs from 17 to 26 August, with winners announced on 5 and 6 September by roughly 750 members of the TV Academy's Music Peer Group.