The Streamy Awards was born in late 2008 after an explosive year in online entertainment and the need to properly acknowledge artistic excellence within it. The 1st Annual Streamy Awards captured the spirit of this seismic shift in the entertainment landscape by recognizing the pioneers and innovators of a new creator-driven content ecosystem.
On March 28, 2009, the first ever live-streamed, envelope-opening awards show took place at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, California and quickly became a critical and popular success. Over forty thousand viewers tuned-in to watch and participate in the inaugural show, and hundreds of thousands participated in nominating their favorite shows and voting for the winner of the Audience Choice Award.