LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Online retail giant Amazon scored its first ever Golden Globe nominations Thursday - a breakthrough in its bid to catch up with streaming pioneer Netflix.

Amazon won two nods for breakout original series Transparent, a dark comedy about a man (played by veteran actor Jeffrey Tambor) who has transitioned to become a woman and is working out the thorny details of telling his family.

"Amazon wasn't a proven awards entity until this morning's announcement," commented industry magazine Entertainment Weekly after the show earned nominations for best comedy series and best comedy actor for Tambor.

Transparent will go head to head against Netflix's Orange Is The New Black in the best comedy series category, which also includes Girls, Jane The Virgin and Silicon Valley.

In October, Amazon ordered a second season of the series, the creation of Jill Soloway, an Emmy-nominated writer on cult series Six Feet Under.

The first season was released on Sept 26.

Amazon has recently bolstered its streaming video offerings.

But so far, its own original content has not quite reached the popularity level achieved by Netflix, with its signature series House Of Cards and "Orange Is The New Black.

Representatives for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the nominations.