Oscars Are Likely Tarnished Forever

There is sort of this unwritten rule that news more than 24 hours old is not really news any longer.  So by all accounts Sunday’s 93^rd Academy Awards are no longer newsworthy but despite that I want to put my personal wrap on the show which I admit to not watching although I viewed many of the so-called highlights the following day.

If you watched ABC leading up to the Oscars you would have thought the telecast was every bit the equal of the Super Bowl.  In truth there was a time when the show was the second-most watched event in television…behind the big game.

As recently as ten years ago more than 40 million Americans watched the Oscars but by last year that was cut almost in half.  ABC would have given anything for that number this year as the ratings plunged nearly 60% to just under 10 million viewers.  Even worse is the audience is older than ever before which is not appealing to sponsors.

Hollywood would like to dismiss this all due to the pandemic and the fact that most people didn’t watch many movies in 2020 but it’s more than that.  The movies that are often nominated are simply not the kind that we gravitate to…I mean how many of you saw more than one or two of the best picture nominees?  It used to be the family would gather around the TV and debate their favorite films on Oscar night but not any longer.

Awards shows are like me…a dying bread.  ABC reportedly still made money this year on their estimated $75 million investment but selling ads in 2022 will not be nearly as easy.  They’ll try and invent something new to attract an audience because they have the broadcast rights through 2028.  Good luck!