As streaming wars wear on, Emmy success could give Peacock and Paramount+ a boost
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Every Emmy season, a battle rages over which network or streamer earns the most nominations.It’s so competitive that media conglomerates often tout the combined success of multiple brands to demonstrate dominance.
And two platforms with a growing profile still in search of a major Emmy haul may find on nominations morning that 2026 is their year: Peacock and Paramount+.Less than 20 years ago, Emmy’s top drama and comedy categories were dominated by the four major broadcast networks and one, lone subscription television service, HBO.Then, in 2008, an industry earthquake reached the Emmy Awards stage.
AMC, a cable network formerly known as a classic movie channel, saw its original program “Mad Men” make history as the first cable drama not only to earn a nod but then to take home the trophy.Cable’s surge wouldn’t last long.Just five years later, a DVD-by-mail business turned into a fledgling streaming service made history with a nomination for “House of Cards” in the same drama series category.The following year, Netflix landed a comedy series nom for “Orange Is the New Black”; 12 months after that, Amazon, then still best known as an online bookstore, earned a nod for “Transparent.” The quick Emmy success of these new entrants was part of a strategy that gave their offerings legitimacy not only with viewers, but the industry as a whole.“These awards, the Emmys in particular, are being voted on by literal peer groups,” says an executive in the awards space who requested anonymity to speak candidly about Emmys strategy.
“These are people in the industry.It’s a vote for a show, but sometimes it can be a vote for the company itself.
And I think that can be really impactful.It doesn’t always translate directly to ratings or viewers immediately, but it can have other lasting effects.
And it certainly is a draw for talent to be able to show that a com...