If Oscars were awarded for the most prominent billboards, then Netflix would soon need a bigger trophy case.
Signs promoting The Power of the Dog and Don’t Look Up, the streaming service’s two Best Picture contenders, are impossible to miss along Hollywood’s Sunset Strip as the Academy Awards ceremony approaches this Sunday. Netflix owns about 20 billboards in Los Angeles, including the coveted spots along the Strip, after purchasing them four years ago to highlight programming including its Oscar contenders.
Using street advertisements might seem like an oddly low-tech move for Netflix, which used digital technology to disrupt traditional film studios from Walt Disney to Warner Bros. But when it comes to Oscar season, Netflix is playing by Hollywood’s rules.