Taking a closer look at this year’s Emmy winners offers a few lessons that streamers and studios can learn when it comes to the value of those awards to the demand and reach of their shows.
Looking deeper at the data from Parrot Analytics, here are three takeaways — including demand levels for “The Pitt” stars, “Adolescence” and Apple TV+.
“Adolescence” highlights Netflix’s ability to turn an original concept into a breakout hit
“Adolescence” was arguably the sleeper hit that broke through with audiences. In the first two days, the global demand for “Adolescence” lagged all the other nominees in the Limited Series/Anthology category, but while other nominees like “Dying for Sex” and “Monsters” quickly peaked and faded, demand for “Adolescence” kept building until it peaked 12 days in at 77.7x the average series demand globally.
It did not quite reach the highs that “Black Mirror ” or “The Penguin” saw, but those shows arguably had structural advantages. “Black Mirror” is a long-running show in its seventh season. “The Penguin” is part of the well-established DC Universe and benefitted from that built-in fanbase.
“Adolescence” is another example of Netflix’s ability to take a truly original concept (the other nominees are either in later seasons, part of a franchise, or based on a podcast in the case of “Dying for Sex”) and turn it into a breakout hit similarly to what it did for “Squid Game.”
Apple TV+ solidified its reputation for prestige content not just with its awards haul at this year’s ceremony but also with audiences
“The Studio” set a record as the debut comedy series to receive the most nominations and walked away at the end of the night with the most wins. Other originals from the platform like “Severance” and “Shrinking” also racked up multiple nominations. Looking at the performance of Apple TV+ shows over the past year we can see that they weren’t just winning over Academy voters, they were popular with audiences.
The average demand for Apple TV+ series leveled up over the course of this year’s eligibility period. In June-July 2024 the average global demand for Apple TV+ shows was around 5x, but this moved to around 6x for the rest of the eligibility period. This was higher than the average demand for shows from other “prestige” brands like FX and HBO that also had multiple contenders at this year’s awards.
A win can be a major spotlight for talent
Two actors from “The Pitt” won in their respective categories — Noah Wyle for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Katherine LaNasa for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Both saw a higher demand following their win than at any point during the actual release of “The Pitt” at the beginning of the year. Following the ceremony, the U.S. demand for both actors jumped to over 100x. While this spike in attention may be short lived, having the spotlight for even a night can be a springboard to future opportunities for talent.
