It’s both a blessing and a curse that I’ve been skilled and experienced in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of research and data analysis over my years. And it’s days like yesterday where those worlds converge that I’m able to share–albeit vicariously–the joys of those who have something spinworthy to share as well as the dreaded task of being in the unfortuate position to sh-t all over it in the next breath.
So when the cold dark facts of Nielsen’s latest monthy Gauge (the baseline edition, not to be confused with the numerous spin-offs they’ve developed to placate the have nots) become clickbait the same morning where Hollywood gets up at the crack of dawn to announce those who will spend the next two months in pursuit of Emmy awards, it’s a day that’s filled with equal doses of optimism and skepticism.
THE WRAP’s Lucas Manfredi dropped the quantitative aspect of the qualitative measure yesterday morning:
HBO Max dominated the 2025 Emmy nominations on Tuesday with a record 142 nods, led by “Hacks,” “The Penguin,” “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus.”
Disney took second, earning a collective 137 nominations across its portfolio of brands, including a combined 128 for Disney+ and Hulu, while Netflix trailed behind in third with a total of 120 nods, led by “Adolescence,” “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and “Black Mirror.” Apple TV+ also had a strong showing with 81 nods, led by “Severance” and “The Studio.”
I’m especially happy for my many former colleagues at Apple, who justifably amplified their news with several sidebars, including these impressive nuggets dropped by the LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Yvonne Villareal:
The first season of “The Studio,” which stars Seth Rogen as the bumbling Hollywood studio head, received 23 Emmy nominations, making the Apple TV+ series the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmy history — a distinction previously set by “Ted Lasso.” The series also tied the record set by “The Bear” last year as the most nominated comedy series ever. “The Studio” made an impressive showing in the major categories, including for writing, directing and acting.
And it gave VARIETY’s Michael Schneider a reason to give my one-time FX comrade-in-arms Matt Cherniss a chance to attempt being humble as he rattled off a few more reasons for the Culver City and Cupertino brass to be ebullient:
Apple TV+’s haul included “Severance,” which earned the most nominations this year at 27 (which means it also led all dramas), and “The Studio,” which landed 23 nods – the most of any comedy. “There’s a lot of texts and calls flying back and forth,” Cherniss said. “I wouldn’t say that anyone goes into it expecting something like this. These are eight to 10 episodes for for the viewers, but this is years for all the creators involved. It’s a great feeling for everyone, and for everyone here at Apple that has put their heart and soul in promoting these shows in marketing and giving everyone the support that they need.”
Apple TV+’s whopping 79 (sic) Emmy nominations – a new best – doesn’t even tell the whole story of the streamer’s solid batting average. While HBO Max (142) and Netflix (120) boasted more, it was also from a larger pool of submissions. Apple TV+ submitted from 26 programs this year, while Netflix sent in submissions from 113 shows and HBO Max had 86. For those of us nebbishy enough to do the math, that’s a little more than three nominations per submission, substantially above the ratios of less than one from their deeper competitors. And knowing what a baseball lover Cherniss is, I’m pretty certain he helped figure that particular angle out.
But then those killjoys at Nielsen came through with their now eagerly anticipated scorecard on what folks are actually watching. The headline was expectedly incendiary, as DEADLINE’s Dade Hayes dutifully shared:
Broadcast TV slipped to a record-low 18.5% of overall viewing in June as streaming climbed to 46% of the total, Nielsen said in its latest Gauge report. The absence of meaningful sports, notably football, as well as prime time episodes after series wrapped their seasons in May, sent broadcast networks down 5% from May. The combined share of broadcast and cable fell from 44.2% in May to 41.9% in June.
And then the color-keyed list of the platforms that drove that record adoption was released and once again, no black-and-white Apple was to be found among the top 10 ranked services. No story there. Not even the kind of relative one that one that edged them out unapologetically pushed that got Matthew Keys’ one-man show at THE DESK to pick up the ball on their behalf:
Comcast’s streaming service Peacock ranked toward the bottom of the list, accounting for 1.5 percent of time spent with TV, but Nielsen said the streamer saw one of its best months in terms of overall usage, notching a 15.4 percent increase in total use time driven primarily by the reality series “Love Island USA.”
Nor was the decidedly portfolio-light Apple anywhere to be found in the more exhaustive analysis of 1H25 numbers that Nielsen provided to the likes of USA TODAY’s Amaris Encinas that gave a few more reasons for some services to brag, not to mention a sobering reminder of exactly how niche the Emmy voting contingent is both demographically and psychographically:
With over 25 billion minutes viewed so far this year, beloved Disney+ series “Bluey” takes the No. 1 slot. “Bluey” was also the most-streamed show of 2024. Children-focused programming like “Bluey” frequently tops rankings like this one because families, specifically children, watch episodes over and over again, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Four of the Top 10 most-streamed titles, including “Family Guy,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Bluey” fell into the animation category. Another four fell into the procedural TV series category, which includes “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NCIS, “The Rookie” and “Law & Order: SVU”.
It’s been six years since Beyoncé was nominated for Best Variety Special (Netflix’s “Homecoming”), but her show-stopping (and record-setting) “Cowboy Carter” Christmas performance on Netflix, aka “Beyoncé Bowl,” has landed her back in the category. The singer is also up for Best Directing For A Variety Special for her halftime show. If she wins in either category, it’ll mark her first Emmy win.