The Academy won’t air every award LIVE during the telecast at this year’s ceremony.
Several of the Oscars 23 categories will not be presented on the air during this year’s 94th Oscars, and will instead be awarded during off-air parts of the telecast, Variety has confirmed. The eight categories that will be handed out earlier in the ceremony are: documentary short, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound. The ceremony will start one hour before the on-camera portion begins. The awards show is under pressure to bolster ratings from ABC, the network home of the annual ceremony. That’s because last year’s ceremony was the least watched in the history of the awards, with a paltry 9.23 million viewers tuning in to watch “Nomadland” win best picture, a 51% drop from the 18.69 million viewers who tuned in during the previous year. That’s emboldened the Academy to make a decision to dramatically overhaul the telecast, which is scheduled to take place on March 27, a move that could expose them to controversy. In 2019, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the group behind the Oscars, caused an outcry when it announced that several present several below-the-line awards would be presented during commercial breaks. That caused fierce blowback from artists and talent who believed the Oscars were minimizing the contributions of these craftspeople and the show’s producers later abandoned those plans in the face of the outcry. “After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organization,” Academy President David Rubin wrote in a letter that went out to the group’s membership. The new plan will allow more time for comedy, film clips and musical numbers, Rubin explained. But the Academy head acknowledged that the move could prompt criticism. “We realize these kinds of changes can prompt concern about equity, and we ask you to understand our goal has been to find a balance in which nominees, winners, members, and viewing audience all have a rewarding show experience,” Rubin wrote.
