First Best Picture Oscar winner released by a streaming service

CODA (USA/France/Canada, 2021) was distributed by the subscription streaming service Apple TV+ (USA) and released in selected countries worldwide on 13 August 2021. According to reports from Samba TV, the film attracted 375,000 streams between the announcement of its Best Picture nomination on 8 February 2022 and 20 March, with a viewership of 973,000 in total since its release on Apple TV+.

CODA was one of the big success stories at the 94th Academy Awards, held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, USA, on 27 March 2022, winning awards in all three categories in which it was nominated: Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur as Frank Rossi) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Netflix’s The Power of the Dog was also in the running to become the first Best Picture winner released by a streaming service, but CODA shut it out for the night’s top prize, as well as in the Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay categories.