THE streaming revolution panicking mainstream broadcasters will take centre stage at tonight’s TV Baftas.
Dramas The Crown and Black Mirror are in line for some of the top awards.
And a leading academic says the might of Netflix and Amazon is leaving rivals floundering.
The warning comes just days after the revelation that Britain’s terrestrial broadcasters are proposing a groundbreaking merger for distributing their content.
The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have been in discussions about creating a unified streaming service.
US TV and film company NBC Universal, which owns Carnival Films, makers of period drama Downton Abbey, are also believed to be involved in the talks.
Having one central service is seen as vital in combatting Netflix, which has 8.2 million UK subscribers and Amazon Prime, to which 4.3 million British homes are signed up. The Crown is up for Drama Series and star Claire Foy for Leading Actress, while fellow Netflix hit Black Mirror has Joe Cole nominated as Leading Actor and Jimmi Simpson as Supporting Actor.
“Those are the sort of nominations that would normally have just been in the International category, not the main ones,” said Professor John Cook, from Glasgow Caledonian University, who is involved in research about the growing impact of Netflix.
“They would only have been the traditional terrestrial broadcasters. The Crown is the sort of drama that would have previously gone to the BBC, but they just can’t afford it.”
Line of Duty is also up for Best Drama, with star Thandie Newton fighting it out with Foy, Sinead Keenan from Little Boy Blue and Molly Windsor from Three Girls for Leading Actress.
Newton also features in the Must-See Moment category, alongside the grieving of a pilot whale in Blue Planet II, the revelation of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor Who and Viserion being killed by the Night King in Game of Thrones.
Stormzy’s surprise appearance in Love Island and Ariana Grande singing One Last Time at One Love Manchester are the other nominees.
Bafta TV Awards, BBC1, tonight 8pm.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe