• by June 28, 2007

The first TV Guide Online Video Awards, announced on Wednesday and planned as an annual event, will not only honor the best Web videos, but will also harness online and mobile media for promotion, fan voting, and coverage of the awards process.

Gemstar-TV Guide International said the awards will honor the best professionally produced content that aired online or in other "digital media" between January and October of this year.

Categories will include comedy, drama, animation and other genres, with some voted by consumers and others selected by TV Guide editors.

Consumers will be able to access the nominated clips at TVGuide.com, and fan voting will take place through both TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile.

Cross-platform activities will also include TV Guide magazine and cable's TV Guide Network, which will air the awards ceremony live in December. Red carpet interviews with attendees are also promised.

"Some of the industry's most creative writers and producers are now engaged in producing entertainment programming that is available exclusively on the Web," Gemstar-TV Guide CEO Rich Battista said in a statement.

"Over the past year, both the quality and the quantity of this Web-only programming have increased exponentially. During this same period, TV Guide has significantly increased our coverage and use of digital media to connect with consumers to further strengthen and extend our brand."