It’s almost incalculable the amount of change thrust upon society since 2020 began. The COVID pandemic has touched almost every aspect of daily life, including all forms of entertainment. Productions were shut down across the world, with only a few trying to start up again recently. The once gushing pipeline of seemingly endless content has receded to a slow trickle, putting awards shows, like the Oscars, in a tough spot, because celebrating creative excellence only works if there is something new to celebrate.
However, few took notice recently when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it was delaying next year’s Oscars until late April 2021. It’s understandable, considering the dramatic industry-wide upheaval and the lack of new movies in cinemas for months, although, the announcement was met with little fanfare. It can be easy to suggest people aren’t paying attention because of what’s happening around them, but there were already troubling signs awards shows were falling out of favor, which could make it even harder to lure viewers back.
The simplest blame is on producers fumbling a once rock-solid ceremony into something that can feel bloated and sometimes boring. There was a time where the Oscars were an event for viewers, nearly acting like the Super Bowl for cinephiles, however, that is no longer the case. This year’s 2020 Academy awards drew under 24 million viewers, which is shocking considering that is only about four million more than a typical Sunday Night Football game. This is a far cry from the 1998 Oscars, which drew in a record average of 55 million viewers.
While the Oscars have experienced the most dramatic drop in ratings this century, it has been a similar fate for the Grammy's and Emmy's, but it may not be all bad. Social media activity during these broadcasts, just like during the Oscars, is steadily increasing. It indicates while the TV viewership is falling, some of those people have migrated to social media platforms instead, checking in on updates from the few watching the ceremonies. This indicates interest is still present, however, most fans have chosen to use another medium to learn about results, one that allows them to skip a three-hour broadcast, with a few exceptions still tuning in.
While viewership is declining, awards ceremony audiences can unexpectedly spike, typically when popular films receive recognition, as seen with 1998's ceremony where Titanic, a critical and commercial behemoth, brought home the gold. Titanic was the peak of a Hollywood hot streak for the Academy that began in the late 1980s. Oscar ratings were increasingly growing, which coincided with a near unparalleled run of iconic Best Pictures. From Dances with Wolves, to Unforgiven, to Braveheart, to Forrest Gump, audiences were tuning in to see some of their favorite popular movies win the big awards.
Fast forward to this year where Avengers: Endgame, one the biggest movie made, failed to earn nominations outside of Best Visual Effects. Coincidentally, the Oscar ratings for the year were once again low. Whereas last year’s Best Picture nominations included audience favorite and box office juggernaut Black Panther, and Oscar ratings were higher. It could be argued audiences have always preferred watching award shows that reward and recognize their favorite films as opposed to seeing them celebrate films that only reflect the Hollywood elite.
Big awards shows have also struggled in recent years with bad press about how selections are made, how votes are cast and the long standing problems dealing with race and gender inequality, all of which fuel the perception that award shows are out touch with the progressing realities. This is especially important because honoring the arts is about more than trophies. If award shows can’t survive in this new reality, it will leave a much bigger hole than just on the TV schedule.
Award shows play an important role in society. Celebrating artistic achievement provides a safe stage for critical debate, freedom of expression and recognizing differences and similarities. The arts help hold a mirror to the best and worst of humanity, which is why using awards shows to celebrate Best Picture winners like Schindler’s List and Spotlight is just as important as honoring audience favorites like Gladiator and The Departed, all of which drew decent viewership and kept the public engaged.
While the path ahead for awards shows may look murky and uncertain, people have always shown a willingness to take part in the celebrations. If the Oscars and other award shows work towards representing their audiences' favorites, as well as more inclusive nominees that reflect reality, then the shows may be able to see audiences return.
