More and more people have been switching to streaming services the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic started in the beginning of 2020. They are usually much cheaper than cable and offer a variety of TV series and movies, including new originals that you can't watch with cable. Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and more are giving cable companies run for their money. But which one has the most popular and award-winning content?
Netflix and HBO were battling with each other at award shows for years, even before the introduction of HBO Max. Their TV series have been taking over the Emmys and attract millions of viewers all the time. Let's take a look at which streaming service has the most Emmy awards.
7 Netflix Made History With 44 Emmy Awards in 2021
Netflix made Emmys history in 2021. The streaming service won 44 awards within a year. No other company has won that many Emmy awards at one time. “Netflix won 44 Emmy awards this year, combining the primetime awards handed out during Sunday's ceremony and the creative arts Emmys collected during ceremonies last weekend. It's the first time Netflix has brought home the most Emmy wins since the company's programming was first nominated in 2013,” according to CNET. It took Netflix 16 years to just be nominated for an award (although, to be fair, they weren't making original content for most of that time) and now they have won more Emmys than any other production company in one year.
6 ‘The Crown’ Earned Netflix Most Of Its Awards
Since it first came out in 2016, The Crown has become one of Netflix’s most popular shows and earned the streaming service tons of awards. It has won more than a hundred awards overall, including 21 Emmy awards. According to Variety, “Netflix came into the Primetime Emmys with 34 wins from the Creative Arts Emmys. The streamer then picked up a further 10 awards, including wins for Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, and Josh O’Connor for their roles in The Crown and for Ewan McGregor for best actor in a limited series for his starring role in Halston. The Crown also won for best drama series as well as best directing and writing for a drama series. The drama about the British Royal Family won 11 Emmys in total, tying Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit for the most wins for an individual program for the year.”
5 HBO Max Was Surprisingly The Runner-Up
HBO has been taking over the Emmys for years. It seemed like they were going to win even more awards when they combined with another streaming service and became HBO Max, but that still wasn’t enough to win against Netflix this year. “Netflix and HBO have battled each other for primacy in Emmy nominations for the last five years, with the two trading the title as the most nominated network, studio or streaming service since 2017… HBO—which combined its awards for shows both on its traditional network and on its streaming service, HBO Max—won 19 total Emmys, with Mare of Easttown and Hacks standing out with multiple wins,” according to CNET. Netflix tied with HBO in 2018, but this is the first time they have ever won against them.
4 Disney+ Won 14 Emmys
Disney+ was the second runner-up this year. Although Disney+ is definitely a popular streaming service, Disney's feature films are usually what draw people to them and win the most awards. But some of their new shows did earn them a few Emmy awards this year. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Disney+ also saw its win total rise to 14, up from eight in 2020. The Walt Disney Co. unit got a boost from its Star Wars franchise series, The Mandalorian, scoring a total of seven trophies and the Marvel Universe show, WandaVision, capturing another three. The streamer’s presentation of the Broadway smash Hamilton, won an Emmy for best pre-recorded variety special.”
3 Apple TV+ Won 11 Emmys
Apple TV+ was released around the same time as Disney+ in 2019. Even though Disney+ has more subscribers and has won more awards, they are beginning to gain more people’s attention. Their original show, Ted Lasso, definitely got the critics attention and earned them 11 Emmys this year. According to Deadline, “Apple TV+ was the other digital headline, grabbing Outstanding Comedy Series among seven Emmys for Ted Lasso. The Comedy Series win for Ted Lasso makes the streaming platform the fastest to get a series win, in just its second year of eligibility.”
2 Amazon And Hulu Didn’t Win Any Emmys
Amazon and Hulu surprisingly didn’t win any Emmys in 2021. Both streaming services are more popular than Apple TV+ (Amazon has about 200 million subscribers and Hulu has about 42 million subscribers), but their shows didn’t catch the critics attention enough this year. “Fellow streamers Amazon and Hulu did not fare as well, with both getting shut out this year. Amazon had won four Emmys last year while Hulu had one win in 2020,” according to Variety. They might not have won any Emmys, but one of them still had a few nominations. The Handmaid’s Tale earned 21 nominations for Hulu.
1 HBO Max Had The Most Nominations
Netflix definitely had the most Emmy wins this year, but HBO Max took over the Emmy nominations. “HBO and HBO Max led all nominees this year with a combined 130 nominations, followed closely by Netflix with 129. Disney Plus was third with 71 nominations in total,” according to Variety. Netflix was really close to tying HBO Max with Emmy nominations. But no matter what they still made history with all of the awards they won.