Amazon and Netflix claim Oscar wins

Rival streaming services Amazon and Netflix both claimed Oscar wins last night, with Amazon connected to three of the winners and Netflix scooping its first win in the documentary category.

Amazon’s wins came in the feature film categories with Casey Affleck winning best actor for Manchester by the Sea, which Amazon has snagged for its Prime Video service. The UK-set film also won best screenplay.

Amazon has also got North American rights to The Salesman, the Iranian drama that triumphed in the best foreign film category although its Iranian director, Asghar Fahadj, did not attend because of the US administration’s planned travel restrictions.

Netflix, meanwhile, was celebrating in the best short category for its original doc The White Helmets, about rescue workers in Syria.

Neither service break out viewing figures but awards wins has a marketing impact and boosts subscriber retention/acquisition.

Both services are investing heavily in TV series and features and are now regular winners at the big award ceremonies.