LONDON—The numbers are in and a winner in the most awarded SVoD streamer faceoff is HBO Max, according to Ampere Analysis, which based its results on a survey of more than 35 international media awarding bodies. HBO Max—which will be relaunched as HBO Max Discovery in the spring of 2023—has the highest proportion of award-winning content in the US, offering just shy of 700 championed films and TV shows, followed by Netflix and Amazon Prime Video with over 500 titles each.
In terms of concentration of award-winning content, HBO Max leads the rankings again, with one in five (21%) decorated titles in its library, besting the smaller Apple TV+ (19%). Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, though close-behind in volume, have a much lower density of award-winning content, at 10% and 7% respectively, Ampere said.
One major factor in why HBO Max came out ahead: it has a legacy of older, critically acclaimed content, with almost three quarters of its award-winning titles over 10 years old. These older award-winning titles are 79% movies, composed of Warner Bros’ sizeable movie catalogue (137 titles) and content licensed through a partnership deal with The Criterion Channel (122 titles). Of the decorated TV Shows, HBO-produced titles make up the largest share (30%).
HBO’s reputation for high-quality, premium titles has continued into the streaming era—the 2022 Primetime Emmys saw HBO and HBO Max jointly claim a network-leading 38 wins across 13 shows. This included the most-decorated show The White Lotus, which won in 10 out of the 13 categories it was nominated in, as well as shows with multiple wins including Euphoria (6) and Succession (4).
Netflix also saw a successful Emmys season, with 26 total wins across 11 shows including historic wins for South Korean drama Squid Game which claimed six awards, the most ever by a non-English language series. Netflix’s much younger award-winning catalogue is driven by its original series, with 43% of award-winning titles under 10 years old being a Netflix Original, and a further 25% being Netflix exclusives.
Joe Hall, Analyst at Ampere Analysis says: “Platforms that focus on delivering premium, top-end content to viewers unsurprisingly have highly decorated, award-dense catalogues. The focus on quality over quantity is key to retaining and growing a subscriber base whilst maintaining a smaller library. With a shrinking pool of licensable content, emphasis should be placed on titles that consumers engage with long after the initial release. Those that are victorious at well-established awards ceremonies, such as the Emmys, not only prove their quality but can help to elevate a title’s profile to increase engagement.”
