It was a superb evening for Netflix at the 73rd Peabody Awards this week, with the streaming service's two hit dramas 'House of Cards' and 'Orange is the New Black' both winning the prestigious gongs.

House of CardsKevin Spacey [L] and Robin Wright [R] in 'House of Cards'

Peabody recognises shows based on excellence - there are no set categories and everything from scripted drama to news reports are considered. 'House of Cards' stars Kevin Spacey as the ruthless politician Frank Underwood and his scheming wife, played by Robin Wright. The show - which won the first Emmy award for an online-only show - has been re-commissioned for a third season.

The winners were chosen by the board of the George Foster Peabody awards at the University of Georgia  and were announced on Wednesday by Peabody award-winning journalists Ira Glass and Charlayne Hunter-Gault on CBS.

Kerry Washington's drama series Scandal was another of this year's recipients, as was the AMC meth drama Breaking Bad. 

Broadcast news outlets to win included WBZ-TV and WBZ Newsradio in Boston for their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the hunt for suspects.

Breaking BadBryan Cranston [L] and Aaron Paul [R] in 'Breaking Bad'

Online winners included the YouTube video A Needed Response, which was created by two University or Oregon students to promote respect for women.

"The quality of storytelling in electronic media continues to increase year-after-year, across platforms, producing organizations and nations," Jeffrey Jones, director of the Peabody awards, said in a statement. "The unprecedented number of awards we gave this year reflects this fact."

The Peabody winners will be formally presented with awards at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on May 19. 

More: President Obama watches 'House of Cards' and 'True Detective'. Think about that.

More: Well done internet, you've dealt with 'House of Cards' spoilers well.

Watch Kevin Spacey arriving for the Letterman Show: