CODA's Oscar Win Sent A Lot Of New People To Apple TV+

The historic Best Picture win and Apple Original "CODA" at the Oscars last week has bode extremely well for Apple TV+. The Oscar win has understandably piqued audience curiosity about the film in itself, leading to a 25% uptick in new viewers on the Apple TV+ streaming service (via Variety). 

When compared to the viewership on the streaming service a week prior, "CODA" has had a 300% boost after the award ceremony aired. "CODA" winning Best Picture is historic and essential in many ways, the key being the fact that the film's representation of its deaf characters has been true-to-life and refreshing, as opposed to stereotypical narratives about the deaf community that often dominate the screen. Apart from this, the film's success as the first streaming-service title to win an Oscar in a leading category is a breakthrough in itself, highlighting the emergence of streaming platforms in shaping today's cinematic landscapes.

In terms of the "CODA" performance on Apple TV+, which has been provided by a third-party source, we don't really have much in terms of the fixed metrics that go into these calculations, as a certain percentage of increase in viewership would also warrant transparency of the number of net subscribers the platform has. It is also unclear as to what a 25% increase in new viewers means when translated into an actual figure, supplemented by the fact that Apple has not provided a granular breakdown of other metrics, such as time spent on the platform, and devices used for viewing.

While an increase in Apple's streaming membership is certainly good news for the streamer, there is the question of whether the surge is temporary or more meaningfully sustainable in a long-term context. As Apple offers a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+, which costs $4.99 per month, it is not unlikely that viewers who wish to watch "CODA" will simply sign up for the free trial period, and then cancel thereafter.

Nevertheless, the hype surrounding "CODA" is extremely well-deserved, and the film won all three categories it was nominated in, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), and Best Adapted Screenplay for director Siân Heder. Apart from its Oscar wins, "CODA" also won the SAG award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture, and is the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to receive the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at this year's PGA Awards.

"CODA" is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.