By Jordan McDonald
55 comms Social Media Coordinator
Did you care that the Oscars were on this week? You know, the Oscars that used to be one of the biggest talking points of the day? Which actors won, which movies were recognised – was it the movie you loved or one you despised? Chances are that you didn’t give it much thought. Because the numbers show us that we’re turning off the Oscars in droves. Preliminary data showed only about 10 million Americans tuned in – a decrease of almost 60 per cent from 2020. That continued a constant fall in Oscars’ ratings in recent years. It was once the second most popular live TV broadcast in the US behind the Super Bowl and now it’s struggling to match the ratings of a Monday Night Football match. So, why don’t we care about the Oscars anymore?
Streaming services do it better
Join the club, Oscars. You’re not the only organisation to lose viewers in this rapidly-changing media era. And it’s not just about the Oscars – the movie industry must be genuinely worried about its future. Streaming services like Netflix continually invest enormous money into producing movies and TV shows to the same calibre of the big studios and networks. Streaming platforms had the edge in 2020 because people could still consume their content regardless of COVID. Netflix was nominated for 42 times across 22 of their original films and 20 of their original shows which is plenty to brag about. The Oscars have always required films to be aired in cinemas to qualify for awards. If people no longer care so much about awards, will Netflix bother? That would hurt the Oscars and other ceremonies.
Millennials showing lowest interest levels ever
Top of the list of those least interested in the Oscars this year were the younger (millennial) audience who showed a 64 per cent drop in viewership from 2020.
We live in an age where we’d rather get the highlights than watch the full broadcast and social media allows for that. Why would the generation with the shortest attention span set aside three hours when they can see all the short