• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Arts & Entertainment

Hulu’s Big Emmys Night Puts Amazon and Netflix on Notice

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 18, 2017, 12:57 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Hulu didn’t win the most Emmy awards on Sunday night, but the streaming service’s big night was bright enough to let Hollywood know that Amazon and Netflix are no longer the only digital players making noise on the awards circuit.

Hulu—the streaming service owned jointly by four major TV networks—came into the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards with a personal record 18 total nominations, with its feminist dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale leading the way with 13 nods. In fact, Hulu was only one year removed from scoring its first two nominations ever at the 2016 Emmys, but this year’s event brought the platform its first-ever wins. Hulu won in a big way on Sunday night, winning 10 total awards while becoming the first streaming service to ever win the Outstanding Drama Series award, for The Handmaid’s Tale.

HBO may have led the Emmys tally last night, with 29 total wins, including eight for the drama series Big Little Lies, while Netflix took home 20 awards itself. But, those results came as little surprise, considering that HBO and Netflix came into this year’s Emmys with more than 200 combined nominations. And while HBO and Netflix can’t exactly be upset about their respective performances last night, two of those networks’ most-hyped shows (HBO’s Westworld and Netflix’s Stranger Things, two genre dramas) failed to pick up any major awards on Sunday.

At the same time, Amazon only went home with two Emmys last night as the e-commerce giant may need to regroup its TV efforts after some expensive shows failed to find their footing recently.

Hulu, meanwhile, made Emmy history as a streaming service winning the night’s biggest award, while actress Elisabeth Moss also picked up her first Emmy (after being nominated seven times before, but never winning, for Mad Men and Top of the Lake) in the Best Actress category for The Handmaid’s Tale. The show won eight awards in total (tying with HBO’s Big Little Lies, both one short of NBC’s Saturday Night Live) and also picked up awards for writing and directing, while actresses Ann Dowd and Alexis Bledel won in the Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Guest Actress categories. Hulu won two more Emmys last night for its streaming documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

In the end, Hulu finished fourth in terms of overall Emmy wins (behind HBO, Netflix, and NBC), but that ranking is more than enough to signal the streaming service’s rapid ascendancy to the upper echelon of Hollywood. Hulu had struggled for years to find its footing with original programming, marked by failed pushes to launch original series with high-profile talent, including actors James Franco (in the time-travel drama 11.22.63) and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul (in The Path, about a sinister cult).

Those shows never gained much traction with audiences or critics, but with The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu finally has a breakout hit around which it will look to build a broader portfolio of original TV series. The drama debuted in April to critical and popular success, with Hulu quickly renewing the show for a second season after claiming that more Hulu viewers watched the show’s premiere than any previous series debut on the service.

Now, Hulu will try to replicate that success with more original series as Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins said last week that the company plans to spend roughly $2.5 billion on original programming this year. Hulu has been gradually rolling out more and more original TV series, while also launching its live-TV streaming service over the summer. Executives at Amazon and Netflix have said in the past that winning major Hollywood awards are good for business, as they lend even more credibility to streaming players looking to woo viewers to their services while also helping to attract high-profile talent, such as actors, writers, and directors.

Last year, Hulu said it had roughly 12 million subscribers, which means the service still has a long way to go to catch up with its larger rivals, as Netflix boasts over 100 million subscribers around the world while more than 80 million people have Amazon Prime accounts. What’s more, those three big streaming services are also facing a growing list of competitors, including some with very deep pockets, as Apple and Facebook have reportedly committed to spending $1 billion apiece on original series in the next year to build up their own streaming video businesses.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as the First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
PoliticsDonald Trump
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as the First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 1, 2026
14 hours ago
Donald Trump sits at his desk in the Oval Office, smiling and with his hands folded in front of him.
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
16 hours ago
powell
InvestingSports
Premier League Lacrosse adds Rob Mac, Glen Powell to investors group in historic $100 million funding round
By The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
2 days ago
swiss
EuropeHeat
It’s so hot in Switzerland that yodelers are standing in fountains
By Jez Fielder and The Associated PressJune 30, 2026
2 days ago
Dave Portnoy
SuccessCareers
Dave Portnoy quit an $80K sales job to start Barstool—he hand-delivered papers in a secondhand van while living with his girlfriend’s mom for 6 years
By Preston ForeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago
bm
PoliticsWhite House
As Bill Maher accepts Mark Twain Prize, the funniest thing is the tarp draped across the Kennedy Center
By Steven Sloan and The Associated PressJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
20 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.