| Hi all, Julie here. Sunday night's Golden Globes in Beverly Hills was supposed to be a big night for tech. Netflix Inc. was up for the most nominations of any single studio, and Apple Inc. was competing in the show for the first time. But by the time the ceremony was over, Netflix had landed just two trophies, Apple got zero and Silicon Valley as a whole received a verbal skewering from the night's presenters. Back in December, Apple became the first streaming platform to be nominated for a Golden Globe the same year it launched. A bow-tied Tim Cook was in the audience on Sunday hoping he would watch Apple's new TV series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon take home as many as three awards. Instead, host Ricky Gervais wasted no time going after the tech giant. "Apple roared into the TV game with 'The Morning Show,' a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China," Gervais said in his opening monologue. He went on: "Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent, wouldn't you?" But perhaps the sharpest barb was reserved for Facebook Inc. While introducing "Jojo Rabbit," a satire about Nazi Germany, actor Sacha Baron Cohen lampooned the social network. "The hero of this next movie is a naive, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and only has imaginary friends," Baron Cohen said. "His name is Mark Zuckerberg." The public lashing was indicative of the massive sentiment shift against tech companies. Though in one bright spot for the industry, Amazon.com Inc.'s "Fleabag" took home the top honors in its category for TV comedy and actress, not long after the company won a bucket of Emmys. In past years, Netflix shows like "The Crown" and "Roma" have also cleaned up. Still, this year's snub may particularly sting because, as my colleague Lucas Shaw points out, tech has spent big money trying to win over critics. In particular, Netflix as funneled tens of millions into awards-related campaigns. That's not to mention the vast sums Silicon Valley has poured into original programming. Will tech's awards fortunes change? In just about one week's time, we'll get our first look at the Oscar nominations, ahead of the festivities on Feb. 9. Between now and then, executives will be hoping that Netflix fan favorites like Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" and the star-studded "Marriage Story" will fare better with Academy voters than with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But even if the Oscars mock the technology industry as mercilessly as the Golden Globes did, it likely won't sway the big tech companies' plans to continue spending billions on streaming and entertainment. They may not be newcomers for much longer. —Julie VerHage | 
Post a Comment