Netflix is something that dominates most of our free time and it’s growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. That being said, there’s one thing that Netflix is chasing and can’t seem to reach. That’s an Oscar. 

     The thing that Netflix has going for it is all the great original TV content they’ve been churning out recently. They used to basically be an online blockbuster but now with shows like Stranger Things, House of Cards, and all the marvel shows they are their own network. That’s where they’ve really found their stride and the proof is in all the Emmy nominations and wins their shows have received recently.

     The one area Netflix is pouring tons of money into without much success is their movies. Basically, they are a directors dream. They give them the budgets they want in addition to having final cut on their projects. For example, Scorsese is working on a project called the Irishman that’s getting released on Netflix in 2018. The main reason that deal went through is because Netflix gave him final cut and the budget of $100 million he was asking for. No studio was going to do that and it allowed Netflix to swoop in and nab one of the best directors working today. 

     So what’s the problem with doing all that? Well, as of right now, with all the money they’ve spent, Netflix is about $20 billion in debt. I don’t know enough about the financials but it seems to me that they need some major success with all these projects to pay of their investments and make the company profitable. 

     I don’t doubt that Netflix can have the success they are hoping for but I do think that they need to make some major changes. First off, their marketing strategy is almost solely reliant on word of mouth. That’s a risky plan because unless people start talking a lot about certain projects with their friends and on social media, they just get buried amongst all the other movies available to stream. There was a film called War Machine with Brad Pitt that came out earlier this year that I’d be willing to bet more than half of Netflix’s subscribers had no idea existed.

     Another problem is most of their movies haven’t been very good. War Machine was pretty mediocre and Okja was a little to strange and disturbing to have wide spread appeal. That’s where the Oscars come in. Netflix wants to get their films into the awards conversation because they know that the more that happens, the more people are going to start getting interested in their original projects. An Oscar nomination is a big thing that can attract a much bigger audience to your movie. Not to mention, it would give people more and more trust in Netflix to put out a quality product. 

     The issue with Netflix’s race for an Oscar hasn’t simply been the caliber of the films but also the way they release them. To get awards consideration, you need to have your film play in a certain number of theaters in LA and New York. Netflix’s strategy is to release the movies in the minimum amount of theaters they can and also make it available to stream at home at the same exact time. The problem is that like it or not, the awards voters definitely have a bias against that strategy. In my opinion, it kind of inadvertently makes them shrug the movie off or forget it when it comes time to vote. It almost becomes like a made for TV movie in their eyes rather than a major motion picture.

      In my opinion, what Netflix should do is adopt Amazon’s strategy. What they do is release a movie in theaters and then make it available to stream a few months after the initial release. It seems to be working well because films like Manchester by the Sea and The Big Sick have had wide spread appeal and tons of critical praise. Not to mention, Manchester by the Sea got an Oscar for Best Actor. I’m not saying the release schedule is the only factor but I think it would help remove some of the unintentional bias that is keeping Netflix from getting a statue.

     It’s a complicated issue and streaming is definitely a major player for the movie industry nowadays that might even put theaters out of business. For now, movie theaters still have their relevance and Netflix may want to consider that if an Oscar is really what they want.