Netflix edges past HBO to top Emmy list

Longtime ‘ king’ of nominations dethroned by streaming firm’s rising clout

Washington, July 13: It looks like all those DVDs and billboards paid off.

After blanketing Los Angeles and other parts of the world with for- yourconsideration ads and screeners for its bounty of shows, Netflix on Thursday dethroned HBO, the longtime king of Emmy nominations, by hauling in 112 Emmy Awards nominations. It was the most of any network and more than double its total from two years ago.

The strong showing was further evidence of the streaming company’s rising clout in the fast- changing TV industry.

HBO, which has been the industry leader for nearly two decades, followed with 108 nominations, snapping a 17- year streak of garnering the most Emmy nods. However, HBO’s ambitious Game of Thrones scored the most nominations for any series in TV with 22, including for the most coveted category of outstanding drama.

The Netflix win reflects the sheer volume of shows that the popular streaming service runs and underscores the strength of its strategy to offer something for everyone. Netflix pulled in nominations for high- profile series including The Crown and GLOW, but also for smaller- scale fare such as Somebody Feed Phil and the acclaimed documentary Icarus. “Netflix is flooding the market with programming,” said Deana Myers, TV analyst with Kagan, a research arm of S& P Global Market Intelligence.

And it’s spending billions of dollars more than other networks combined to do so. The Los Gatos, California company projected that it would pay about $ 8 billion on content in 2018, up from $ 6 billion in 2017. However, a recent Goldman Sachs report estimated that Netflix could spend $ 12 billion to $ 13 billion on content this year. In contrast, HBO spends about $ 2 billion a year for programming, including licensing fees for Hollywood movies, according to Kagan.

Emmy nominations, in many ways, have become big business. Netflix spent lavishly — over $ 15 million, according to insiders — to promote shows, more than double what HBO, cable network FX and others individually spent on their Emmy campaigns.

This year, Netflix flooded Television Academy members with DVDs and rented a soundstage at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles, where it built extravagant exhibits featuring shows such as The Crown, Godless, GLOW and Ozark.

The wooing included panel discussions with prominent members of the cast and producers in early June. There was ev- en a question- and- answer session with Jamie Foxx and Barbra Streisand. Net- flix also snapped up marquee billboard displays along the Sunset Strip to advertise its shows.

The firm ripped a page out of HBO’s playbook by recognising that big billboards, full- page print advertisements, splashy events and other awards show acclaim can be intoxicating for talent, who are leaving traditional TV studios to work with Netflix.

HBO, WHICH HAS been the industry leader was snapped out of a 17- year streak of garnering the most Emmy nods. NETFLIX win reflects the sheer volume of its shows