Netflix a 'force to be reckoned with' with Emmy nods, but here's why competitors still have a shot

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Netflix (NFLX) crushed the 72nd Emmy Award nominations on Tuesday, garnering an impressive 160 nods ā€” the most out of any other network, including its strongest competitor HBO.

The AT&T-owned (T) programmer came in second place with 107 nominations, down from last yearā€™s 137, and led by series ā€œThe Watchmenā€ which earned 26 total nominations (the most of any show).

But is it all that surprising?

ā€œNot really,ā€ Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Yahoo Finance.

ā€œNetflix has a massive breadth of content and they have, within their stable of creatives, just an amazing array of talent. Furthermore, they are not afraid to spend money to produce content and create deals with some of the most interesting and dynamic filmmakers in the business,ā€ he said.

Netflix's strong original titles like 'Ozark' have helped catapult the platform to streaming dominance

ā€œNetflix has become a real force to be reckoned with so this [record-breaking moment] shouldnā€™t come as a surprise,ā€ he added.

The platform has relied on strong originals like ā€œOzark,ā€ ā€œThe Crown,ā€ ā€œDead to Me,ā€ and ā€œ Stranger Thingsā€ to boost subscriber growth. It recently doubled down on its estimated $17 billion content bet by promoting Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos to co-CEO.

Sarandos, who frequently strikes up partnerships with TV studios and production houses, is known as the behind-the-scenes dealmaker for the streamer. He is largely seen as the unofficial face of Netflix ā€” especially in Hollywood.

But just because Netflix seems lightyears ahead of the competition (at least at the current moment), doesnā€™t mean other streamers canā€™t catch-up.

ā€œNetflix is not an overnight success story,ā€ Dergarabedian said ā€” noting how the company initially started out as a pay-for-use DVD rental company.

ā€œWho could have imagined that a decade later they would be sitting atop a mountain of Emmy nominations, [but growth] takes time and these other streamers will all be players because they all have the capacity and resources to attract great talent,ā€ he explained.

Both Disney+ (DIS) and Apple TV+ (AAPL), newbies in the ever-evolving streaming wars, secured multiple Emmy nods on Tuesday ā€” scoring 19 and 18 nominations, respectively.

Both platforms made their debuts less than one year ago, in November 2019.

Streaming platforms bust into 2020 Emmys race

Furthermore, in arguably one the biggest surprises of the day, Disneyā€™s ā€œThe Mandalorianā€ snagged a coveted nomination for Best Drama.

ā€œEmmy nominations on this level will make people stay with a particular service,ā€ Dergarabedian said.

ā€œAll services have a shot but each one is at a different point in their individual timeline ā€” some are in infancy, others are in full force and then there are those that are still yet to come.ā€