Is this a pandemic-created blip, or a part of a larger trend? The Academy Awards grew over time into a must-see television event, but as the television event hit all-time lows this year, a few questions loom. Mainly, who had the best red carpet look? Just kidding. We're here to talk about this drop-off in viewership, and what it might say about the general state of the relationship between the film industry and itself. Because one thing the Academy Awards has less and less to do with is audiences. First, let's consider the data from CNN. In doing so, we should also acknowledge that the Nielsen ratings are a horrible arcane method of measurement. But it is at least a consistent metric we have over time. The 2021 event drew an average of 9.8 million viewers, 58% lower than last year's previous lowest-rated ever, which was at 23.6. We all expected Oscar ratings to be low, but just how low they are is jaw dropping: fewer than 10 million viewers. The previous "all time low" in viewership for an Oscar show was 23.6 million. This year was only 9.85 million. Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 27 April, 2021