AppleTV+ has just positioned itself as the prestige streamer

AppleTV+, which has only existed since the fall of 2019, made a splash at this year’s Oscars, securing two of the biggest awards of the night; Sian Heder’s CODA won Best Picture, and Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor.

In an age where more and more Oscar contenders are coming from streaming services and old Hollywood is fighting to keep them out, AppleTV+’s win last night marked a new age for the Oscars and a new winner of the prestige streaming wars. Over the past ten years, since streaming burst onto the scene and changed the way we consume media forever, it’s been a debate within the Academy and outside of it whether or not streaming films deserve to be nominated.

Prime Video was the first streamer to secure a nomination for one of their films in the Best Picture category with the 2016 film Manchester by the Sea. Since then, many other streaming films have been nominated, Netflix’s Don’t Look Up and The Power of the Dog among the nominees this year, but AppleTV+ is the first to win the prize with CODA.

CODA’s win marks a historic moment in the recognition of streaming films as just as deserving of awards as non-streaming films, and they beat Netflix and all other streamers to the punch.

In its relatively short existence, AppleTV+ has made waves within the TV industry especially, securing numerous Emmys for hit shows like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, as well as universal praise for other originals like Dickinson and See. Now with the inclusion of Best Picture winner to their roster of content, AppleTV+ has done what Netflix, Prime Video, and even HBO have failed to in the streaming wars: Become synonymous with prestige.

Even though HBO has dominated the Emmys for years and has dominated particularly the documentary category at the Oscars for nearly as long, it has never been able to secure a win for Best Picture. Since its inception, though, HBO has strived to become synonymous with the idea of prestige, whether it be with their television or with their films.

Netflix has sought after the same, dipping their toes into prestige films for years now all leading up to their first Best Picture nomination in 2019 with Roma, which ultimately lost. The elusion of this award from Netflix is a shocking upset, one that just sunk another one of their dwindling battleships in the streaming wars.

By securing the first win for a streaming service for Best Picture, AppleTV+ has now become unshakably tied to quality, prestige, and awards, and it’ll be tough for the other streamers to follow.

In just over two years, Apple has done what Netflix and so many others have been trying to do for nearly a decade.

It’ll be incredibly interesting to see how this pans out for the future of streaming. AppleTV+ might now be the most sought-after streamer for filmmakers trying to either make or sell their films and shows, and Apple now has to continue to be incredibly thoughtful and careful with the films and shows they choose to put their name on to keep their newfound reputation.

Incredibly, a tech company was the first to secure this victory, but, in a way, it all makes sense. Streaming is a tech company’s dream, especially with how rooted it is in data collection and pattern recognition. Of course one of the biggest tech companies in the world would be able to launch a streaming service and hit all the right beats to dominate in just a few short years.

With its newfound dominance in the film and TV industries, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next from AppleTV+, as well as what the other streamers may do to try to catch up.

Best Picture winner CODA is available to stream now, only on AppleTV+.