Of course, the fact that it has even been nominated is a major shift. It was only a few years ago that major studios and producers wanted to eliminate Netflix and other streaming services from consideration unless they gave their films a full theatrical release.
Apple, on the other hand, has bet big that it can spend its way into ramping up a streaming service to rival not only Netflix, but Disney+ (which launched the same month as Apple TV+), HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and newer entries like Peacock and Paramount+. If you measure success by awards, Apple has done a pretty good job.
Apple didn’t only beat Netflix, it’s the first streaming-only service ever to win the coveted Best Picture award. It also took home a basket full of
Emmys last year for Ted Lasso.
I don’t know if anyone signs up for a service like Apple TV+ because a film like CODA wins an Academy Award for Best Picture. For that matter, I don’t know anyone who signed up for Apple TV+ because of Ted Lasso. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I know anyone who signed up for Apple TV+ for any reason other than it came for free with their iPhone or Mac.
I suppose that’s another important distinction–everyone has Netflix. Just about everyone I know has Disney+, especially if they have kids. HBO Max seems to be doing fine. What all of those services have are massive libraries of familiar content that people are willing to pay for. What they don’t have is a Best Picture Oscar for a film released primarily on their service.
Eventually, for Apple, there has to be a reason to keep paying for a service, which means people have to think it offers some kind of value. Winning awards helps because it gives you credibility.
Apple is trying to prove that it has something worth paying for, or, at least, something valuable enough to pay for Apple TV+ as a part of the company’s
services bundle, Apple One. Awards, on their own, might not matter, except when you get to say you’ve won something none of your competition has.