CBS apparently didn't clear its plans to move eight of its Emmy broadcast categories to an earlier time with all the unions.

The Directors Guild of America has demanded that the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences keep all the awards for directing live in the broadcast, and to not pre-record them earlier in the evening as a way to cut down the total broadcast time of the awards.

"After reviewing the DGA's agreement with the Television Academy, the DGA has concluded that the proposed change in presentation of the directing award in the Emmy broadcast is a material breach of our agreement," the DGA said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

That agreement, according to the union, demands that directing awards be "telecast live as part of the Prime Time Emmy Telecast" and be handed out at the same level as acting awards.

"As a result, unless the Academy reconsiders the proposed change in presentation of directing awards, the Guild considers that it no longer is bound by its commitments to the Academy."

What exactly those commitments are the DGA has with the Academy, no one but the union knows. However, the trade publications speculate it might have to do with allowing CBS to broadcast clips of shows without paying a fee to the directors who helped create the content.

To make matters worse, the DGA is unhappy that CBS didn't even bother to tell them ahead of time of the changes, something they have done in the past.

"In the past -- including as recently as March of this year -- the Academy has come to the Guild's Director's Council with requests for modification of the presentation format, and the council has worked with the Academy to find mutually acceptable solutions to the Academy's concerns," the letter said. "The Academy did not consult with the Guild's Directors Council with respect to the recently announced changes."

The Writers Guild of America also has spoken out against CBS' move to alter the Emmy telecast. CBS, however, is standing pat on how it will air its Sept. 20 broadcast, which will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.