
What the Oscars can learn from the lowest-rated Emmys ever
CNN
As strange as it sounds, the upcoming Oscars can learn a lot from what turned out to be the lowest-rated Emmys ever.
As strange as it sounds, the upcoming Oscars can learn a lot from what turned out to be the lowest-rated Emmys ever. Given the obsession with recovering, or at least stemming the decline, of award-show ratings after they cratered during the pandemic, that might seem counterintuitive. But the Emmy telecast got several key things right, while running into what amounted to a perfect storm in terms of depressing its viewership. Specifically, the four-month delay prompted by the writers and actors strikes positioned the telecast on Fox, on a Monday night, opposite an NFL playoff game that crushed it more than football normally does. Throw in attention devoted to the Iowa caucuses and the fact the Emmys followed the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards – which honored many of the same people – by a matter of days, and the ratings drop (to 4.3 million viewers, down roughly 25% from 2022) was easily predictable. The Academy Awards, which will announce nominations on January 23 and air on March 10 with host Jimmy Kimmel, won’t face those particular headwinds. Yet they do come into 2024 plagued by questions about the show and more broadly the film industry, and perhaps most specifically whether voters will seek to help themselves ratings-wise with the movies they choose to nominate. On the plus side, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have two full-fledged hits, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” to consider, with the latter having emerged as the season’s clear frontrunner. There are also an assortment of stars and elements, from Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” and Billie Eilish’s “Barbie” song to Olivia Rodrigo’s musical contribution to the latest “The Hunger Games” movie, offering the opportunity to punctuate the show with material that could appeal to different and wider demographic segments. While still low compared to its heyday, last year’s Oscars improved over 2022, to 18.7 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen data. Given the steady decline of linear television, any gain is defying gravity and cause for celebration in TV circles.