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Apple TV has come out on top at the 2026 Emmy nominations, the annual awards recognising achievement in American television. The nominations are decided by members of the Television Academy, an industry body of actors, writers, producers and other professionals, and are seen as an indicator of critical and industry esteem, even though the actual winners aren't announced until a later ceremony.

Streaming services such as Apple TV, Netflix and HBO Max have increasingly overtaken traditional broadcast networks in the nominations tally in recent years, as more high-profile drama, comedy and reality shows are made exclusively for online platforms. Each year's nominations are also watched for records, milestones and historic firsts, since these can reflect broader shifts in who gets recognised in the television industry, including greater representation for particular creators or genres.

This year's announcement is notable because Apple TV secured a large number of nominations from a relatively small slate of shows, and because several individual programmes and people broke previous records for nominations received. These figures matter to broadcasters and streaming platforms both as a mark of prestige and as a form of publicity that can influence viewership ahead of the eventual ceremony.