Why Netflix scored the most Golden Globes nominations

A few years after Netflix started getting into the original content game, the Golden Globes nominations are starting to skyrocket for the independent streaming platform. But the question is why?

The Netflix film Bright was one of the first major Netflix movies that took off on the platform, and ever since then, the streaming network has consistently brought its best with critically acclaimed, award-winning movies and shows.

But this doesn’t really answer the question: why are Golden Globe nominations going up for streaming services?

Well, to answer this question the first thing to understand the consumer base. Movie theaters are getting hammered during the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that Warner Bros. is releasing all its 2021 content on the streaming platform, HBO Max.

Why Netflix and other streaming services dominate the Golden Globes

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Overall, people don’t want to go to theaters anymore and would rather be at home. I fall into this category. My wife has severe migraines that prevent her from being in dark rooms with bright screens and loud noises.

Although, every couple has that one movie or TV series that is an atrocity to watch without the other person. For us, that’s anything Marvel. We watched Endgame in the theaters and the last movie I saw was Rise of the Skywalker.

I love movie theaters. In fact, I have a 70-inch 4K TV with a 7.1 surround sound system in my house (I’m a former Geeksquad home theater installer) so my living room is a few steps short of a theater. But I find myself increasingly drifting towards original content on streaming platforms, something started by many of the “premium channels,” like HBO with The Sopranos and Game of Thrones, Showtime with Homeland and Billions, Starz with Black Flags, and others.

Today, everything is on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, and more. Cable TV used to be the only way you could get original content, and now it’s any streaming service.

Now, we’re seeing streaming services built around individual channels and networks. Most recently, Discovery+ and Peacock launched. The Office, the most popular show on Netflix and largely popular because of Netflix, was pulled from the platform for NBC’s own streaming service.

Discovery+ is no exception too. Mythbusters was one of my favorite shows as a kid and Deadliest Catch is another one. However, until recently, the only way to access these shows were behind the cable paywall.

In December of 2020, TransUnion published a poll as to which generations were more likely to cut the cord. The number one reason for every group was interest in the original content. In a statement, head of Marketing, Matt Spiegel, explains why:

"“COVID-19 has upended the entertainment landscape and with it, has accelerated the shift to streamed media. To gain market share, platforms are vying for captive audiences, focusing on how their content can stand out in a growing sea of choices. We can expect factors like content quality, price, and user experience to all carry weight in decisions from consumers about streaming new content through various service providers.”"

He’s not wrong. The shift from cable to platform services has been coming for a while and cable subscribers have decreased in the recent decades. In 2018 alone 33 million Americans cut the cord, about 10% of the American population.

In quarter 1 of 2019, 1.3 million cut the cord in favor of streaming services. Those who did cite having control over what they wanted to watch. Most of the cord-cutters have been in favor of places like Sling and Hulu TV because they just have cable for sports. I have done the same thing. As a Law-School student, I don’t have time throughout the day to be in front of the TV at a specific time so I’d rather have a streaming service. I’m also a huge NFL fan. I cut the cord in favor of getting Direct TV’s Sunday Ticket and the NFL’s Gamepass where I can watch games in 45 minutes instead of hours on live TV. Between those two, I only pay $150 a year rather than $39.99 per month plus $200 for the Sunday Ticket with Direct TV. If I can do that then what’s the incentive to pay for cable services?

A projection by TV Technology shows that by 2024 nearly 46% of American households will have cut the cord in favor of streaming services. The study also shows that in 2020 cable companies lost nearly $60 billion of revenue due to cord-cutting, as far as I’m concerned they deserve it for monopolizing the market for so long.

So this brings us to full-circle to the original question: why are Golden Globes nominations (and other award noms and wins) going up for Netflix and streaming services in general?

Well, the first conclusion is more subscribers means more content, the more content the better that content will get, and the better that content will get the more awards they will gain for that good content. Not to mention the COVID-19 outbreak is making filming ever more hard for content right now.

Netflix has the biggest platform with millions of hours of content to choose from, and nearly half of that content is original content in the form of TV or movies, and I haven’t even mentioned Disney+ in this piece yet.

This year, Netflix has the highest number of Golden Globe nominations they’ve had with 44. The streaming giant dominated the nominations with pieces such as The Queen’s Gambit, Promising Young Woman, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Mank which led the pack with seven nominations including the best Drama.

The Golden Globes also has a full list of TV shows exclusively on streaming services. The best drama nominees include The Mandolorian on Disney+,  Lovecraft Country on HBO Max, and then three Netflix originals: Ratched, Ozark, and The Crown. The best-supporting actress award has five actors who all star in Netflix originals.

Netflix dominated the landscape, and no other studio came close to them this year. For motion picture nominations, Netflix had 22 while the next five on the list includes Amazon (7), Focus Features (5), Searchlight (5), Sony (5), and Walt Disney (5) combined for 27.

As far as TV goes, it’s clear streaming services are taking over the TV market and it’s not even close. Netflix had 20 nominations whereas HBO had seven, Hulu with six, and the only cable channel to have a nomination was AMC with a lonely one. Streaming services offer something network television can’t: choice.

Places like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, and even to a lesser extent Disney+ all have one thing in common, choice and good content. They give what their users want. Exclusive content has always been the driving factor in your choices for what subscriptions to choose, and Netflix has unlocked exactly what their audience base and critics want to watch.

As the younger generation grows older you will see a shift – as we already are – from cable TV to original content on streaming services. Eventually, the cable companies are going to lose out big time. The panic button has been pushed already as cable companies are bundling internet and cable into packages and basically forcing cable upon you to boost the numbers of cable subscribers. As the streaming services continue to grow, I’ll be in the front of the line cheering them on. More choice is better, and streaming services allow the user to dictate what they want to watch.