2025 Emmy nominations were announced on Tuesday, with HBO Max walking away with a staggering 142 nods and five of the ten most nominated series. But while headlines overseas focus on The Penguin, The White Lotus and The Last of Us, South African subscribers to DStv Premium and Showmax have already seen the bulk of the nominated titles.
In total, 161 Emmy-nominated shows are currently available across DStv and Showmax. That includes HBO’s top contenders like The Penguin (24 nominations), The White Lotus (23), The Last of Us (16), and Hacks (14), as well as House of the Dragon, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Righteous Gemstones, each with six nominations.
The HBO Max slate continues with nods for Dune: Prophecy, 100 Foot Wave, The Rehearsal, Chimp Crazy, Somebody Somewhere, Mountainhead and the offbeat comedy Fantasmas. It is an impressive showing, made more impactful by the fact that many of these titles have already been available to South African audiences via Showmax.
DStv’s long-standing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery is only part of the picture. Emmy recognition extended across multiple networks and platforms, with titles distributed locally through M-Net and Showmax. That includes:
- ABC (American Idol, The Oscars, The Rookie)
- BBC America (Planet Earth: Asia)
- CBS (Matlock, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Survivor, The Grammy Awards)
- Hulu (The Handmaid’s Tale)
- National Geographic (Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Colour, Life Below Zero, Tucci in Italy)
- NBC (The Voice, The Americas)
- Paramount+ (1923, Lioness, Tulsa King)
- Peacock (Poker Face, Based on a True Story, The Day of the Jackal, SNL: Beyond Saturday Night)
More award contenders are still set to arrive. HBO’s Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary lands on Showmax on 18 July. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story premieres 25 July. CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted joins M-Net from 30 July. The breakout medical drama The Pitt, which scored 13 nominations, will stream on Showmax and air on M-Net from August.
In terms of categories, DStv and Showmax content appears across all major awards:
- Outstanding Drama Series (The Last of Us, The Pitt, The White Lotus)
- Outstanding Comedy Series (Hacks)
- Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series (The Penguin)
- Outstanding Television Movie (Mountainhead, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy)
Acting nominees include Jean Smart for Hacks, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal for The Last of Us, Noah Wyle for The Pitt, and Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti for The Penguin. Kathy Bates, 77, becomes the oldest-ever nominee for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in Matlock, which premiered on M-Net and hits Showmax on 23 July.
But there were notable snubs. DStv also carried Yellowstone, Landman and MobLand, all of which missed out despite strong viewer numbers in the United States.
DStv Stream Premium gives subscribers access to the full DStv Premium package without needing a satellite decoder. That includes all live channels and Showmax Entertainment at no additional cost. The streaming-only plan is priced at R699 per month, with the satellite-inclusive version available for R979. Visit dstv.com to sign up.
For those just interested in Showmax, plans start at R50 per month. The service currently offers 110 Emmy-nominated titles with 23 more expected by the end of August. Visit showmax.com for more.
The Creative Arts Emmys take place 6 and 7 September. The 2025 Emmy Awards ceremony will air in the early hours of 15 September, South African time.
📌 Full list of nominees: televisionacademy.com