The Town with Matthew Belloni The Emmys vs. the Audience: Which Shows People Actually Watch
90 snips
Sep 12, 2025 
Julia Alexander, a streaming video analyst at Puck, joins to dissect the 2025 Emmy Awards and viewer engagement. They reveal the surprising gap between critical acclaim and audience popularity, particularly with shows like The White Lotus and Abbott Elementary. Julia discusses how some Emmy nominees struggle to attract viewers despite their nominations and how release strategies impact audience retention. They also delve into the rise of anime, highlighting 'Demon Slayer' and its dedicated fan base driving box office success.
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Leverage Awards For Discovery And ROI
- Use awards as a discovery tool to extend a show's lifecycle and audience.
- Platforms should weigh lower-cost shows that can spike after nominations for better ROI.
White Lotus Tops Streaming Hours
- Nielsen minutes show The White Lotus led Emmy-nominated dramas with 210M hours during the eligibility year.
- Nielsen's metric may include viewers rewatching or catching up across seasons, inflating totals for multi-season shows.
Low-Cost Show With Big Emmy Lift
- The Pit climbed slowly and spiked after nominations, gaining a 200% lift per Luminate.
- Low per-episode cost plus awards buzz makes it a high-value Emmy candidate for HBO Max.