HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT
Desperate times ... Overtly political speeches, long telecasts and even the flagging popularity of the nominees themselves are among the reasons often cited for the yearslong slide in U.S. ratings. When box office smash Titanic won best picture in 1998, a record 57 million people tuned in; last year, only 26.5 million watched The Shape of Water take the top prize. But while U.S. numbers are dropping, the event apparently still captures imaginations and attention around the world. In 2015, for instance, 4.5 million viewers tuned in from India (despite the more than 10-hour time difference), while Brazil reportedly clocked a 17-percent jump in viewership that same year.
… require desperate measures? In a bid to address the nosedive in U.S. viewership, the Academy and show producers introduced several new innovations this year, ranging from the seemingly logical to the downright curious. The top priority has been to keep broadcast time down to around three hours — meaning winners will be given 90 seconds to get from seat to speech. Before quickly backtracking, the Academy had also opted to feature performances by only two of the five best original song nominees, as well as to relegate several awards, like cinematography and editing, to commercial breaks. What’s more, organizers recruited superstars from outside the world of cinema — such as tennis pro Serena Williams and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello — to each introduce a best picture nominee, and have cut “everyday people” from appearing in segments.
Tough crowd. Not all of those changes went over smoothly. Trying to limit the award presentations included in the broadcast prompted a backlash, including from best picture-nominated director Alfonso Cuarón. And forget about the ill-fated, poorly explained “best popular film” category: Panned by critics as a ploy for ratings, the Academy dropped that idea last autumn (although it’s reportedly not entirely dead yet). There’s also the challenge of capturing perhaps the most important demographic: millennials. Cord-cutters who want to watch can pick up a digital indoor antenna for as little as $20-30 and tune in. But during an age when access to celebrities is easy, thanks to social media, some suggest spicing up the show by featuring more candid, genuine moments rather than Hollywood politics or inside jokes. “It's a celebration of entertainment,” one 31-year-old production executive told The Hollywood Reporter, “so shouldn't it be entertaining?”
Films of the future. This year’s picks for the top honor also signal how the Oscars are changing. While a Black Panther victory is a longshot, its nomination is a nod to big-budget, mega-popular superhero flicks. A win by Cuarón’s Roma, which appears more likely, would result in the first-ever foreign flick taking best picture. It remains to be seen whether these developments can stoke more interest among viewers. Either way, in true competitive spirit, there’s still no clear consensus over who will win.
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