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Oscar Ratings Lay a Golden Egg; But Why?
Sunday night's presentation of the 80th Annual Academy Awards was watched by an average of 32 million total viewers — a 20 percent plunge from a year ago and, in fact, the Oscars' measliest ratings on record since Nielsen started tracking the event in 1974. Worst ever. Of all time.The ratings dive caps an awards season that kicked off last September with the least-watched Emmys in 17 years, then followed with strike-impaired presentations of the Globes, SAGs and Grammys.Why do you think the Oscars underperformed this year? Not enough traditional "blockbuster" fare in the running? The lingering effects of strike fatigue? Or did Gary Busey scare us all away? This interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times suggests that many Americans simply find the excess of glam and glitz irrelevant to their regular lives. —Matt Mitovich
Sunday night's presentation of the
80th Annual Academy Awards was watched by an average of 32 million total viewers - a 20 percent plunge from a year ago and, in fact, the Oscars' measliest ratings on record since Nielsen started tracking the event in 1974. Worst ever. Of all time.
The ratings dive caps an awards season that kicked off last September with the least-watched Emmys in 17 years, then followed with strike-impaired presentations of the Globes, SAGs and Grammys.
Why do you think the Oscars underperformed this year? Not enough traditional "blockbuster" fare in the running? The lingering effects of strike fatigue? Or did Gary Busey scare us all away?
"="" rel="nofollow">This interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times suggests that many Americans simply find the excess of glam and glitz irrelevant to their regular lives. -
Matt Mitovich