On September 20, Andy Samberg hosted the Primetime Emmys in Los Angeles. The ceremony was exactly what you might expect from a self-congratulatory event, although there were a few surprising moments. For starters, Samberg gave out his HBO Now username and password to the millions of people watching. This unexpected move—Samberg being of digital fame himself—only highlighted the renown and success of companies such as Netflix and Amazon in the glamorous world of award-winning television.
The theme of the night was “change,” in both diversity and video distribution. Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which won only one Emmy with Uzo Aduba as Best Supporting Actress, can be credited with advancing both causes. Although Netflix had few wins, it competed with major cable networks like Fox in terms of nominations. In fact, Forbes is predicting that online platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are setting themselves to lead the pack of Emmy winners next year.
As Netflix shows achieve more and more critical acclaim, the company is getting more and more daring. On October 16, Netflix’s first feature film will premiere. The movie, titled Beasts of No Nation, stars Idris Elba of Luther and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and will be released simultaneously on the silver screen and the small screen. For the first time ever, viewers will be able to choose between forking over $11.00 for a movie and watching it at home on their Netflix account. Netflix is revolutionizing the entire movie experience.
Personally, I can imagine no reason to see the movie in theaters rather than at home. If most of the movie’s viewers come from Netflix and if Netflix doesn’t make the movie restricted VIP content, it’s difficult to imagine how the company could make money off of this movie. Arguably, the movie doesn’t have to make money for it to be a worthwhile endeavor—Elba is an amazing actor and this movie, though intense, promises to shine light on African conflicts through the lens of African protagonists—but if the movie fails to make back its budget, it may be a long time before Netflix chooses to go out on a limb again.
All that remains to be seen, but Netflix and similar companies are thriving, and hopefully their success at the Emmys will provide support for continued experimentation.