NEW YORK (AP) – George Bradley used to love watching the Academy Awards. The 28-year-old Brit who now lives in San Diego would stay home late to tune in.
Although he’s in the right time zone now, he’s just not interested, and that’s mainly because of the pandemic.
“The growing dominance of streaming services has taken the shine off the Oscars for me,” he said. “You just don’t get the same warm, hazy feeling when you recognize a movie on the silver screen.”
Whether you look out for love, because you love to hate or have given up like Bradley, awards shows have suffered since the coronavirus closed theaters and shut down live performances. But awards night ratings started long before Covid-19 took over.
For much of this century, the Oscars drew 35 million to 45 million viewers, often just behind the Super Bowl. Last year, just before the pandemic was declared, the hostless broadcast on ABC was seen by the smallest audience ever, 23.6 million viewers, 20 percent less than the year before.
The pandemic-era Golden Globes plummeted to 6.9 million viewers a little over a year later, down 64% from last year and barely better than 2008, the year in which a writers’ strike forced NBC to broadcast a press conference. in which the winners were announced. Last year, pre-lockdown, the show had 18.4 million viewers, according to the Nielsen company.
In March, Grammy producers avoided the Zoom awkwardness of other award ceremonies and appearances from some of the biggest stars in the industry – to no avail. The CBS broadcast reached 9.2 million viewers, both television and streaming, the lowest number ever recorded and a 51% drop from 2020, Nielsen said.
John Bennardo, 52, in Boca Raton, Florida, is a film enthusiast, film school graduate and screenwriter, and runs a videography business serving primarily corporate clients. This year is a no-go for the Oscars.
“I love movies and aspire to be on that same Oscars stage and one day receive my own award,” he said. “I watch and take it every year, enter competitions where I try to pick winners and try to see all the movies. But something has changed for this year. “
For starters, he hasn’t seen a single movie nominated in any category.
Maybe I’ll watch ‘Zach Snyder’s Justice League’ instead. It might be shorter, ”Bennardo joked about the Oscars show.
Like other awards shows, the Oscars have been delayed due to pandemic restrictions and security concerns. The show had been postponed three times in history, but never that far in advance. The organizers had planned for April 25 last June, as opposed to the usual close in February or early March.
Count that among other things driving forces behind the fatigue of the Oscars. Another, according to former fans of the show, is that you should watch nominated movies on small screens and keep track of when and where they are available on streaming and on-demand services. It has been a big blur for some.
Priscilla Visintine, 62, in St. Louis, Missouri, used to live to watch the Academy Awards. She attended viewing parties every year, usually dressed up for the occasion.
“Sure, the shuttering of the theaters has sparked my interest this year,” she said. “I have no idea of Oscar buzz.”
Not all diehards have given up their favorite awards show.
In Knoxville, Tennessee, 50-year-old Jennifer Rice and her 22-year-old son Jordan raced for years to see as many nominated films as possible. In recent years it was their “February Madness,” she said, and they kept charts to document their predictions. She was even allowed to attend the Oscars in 2019 because of her work for a beauty company at the time.
“My other two children, aged 25 and 19, are not interested in the Oscars. It’s just something special for Jordan and me, ”Rice said. “The Oscars force us to watch movies that we may never have chosen. I’m not that excited this year, but we’re still trying to watch everything for the awards show. “
As real life issues have increased for many viewers, from food insecurity and work stoppages to the isolation of lockdowns and parental struggles, award ceremonies offer less escapism and glare than in the past, often relying on pre-recorded performances and zoom boxes. for nominees. In addition, the data shows that there is little interest in appointment television in general among younger generations.
A lifelong movie buff and filmmaker himself, 22-year-old Pierre Subeh from Orlando, Florida, retired from watching the Oscars in 2019.
“We can hardly sit for a 15 second TikTok. How are we expected to endure a dragged-out four-hour awards ceremony full of advertisements and outdated offensive jokes? We live in the age of content curation. We need algorithms to figure out what we want to see and to show us the best of the best, ”he said.
As a Muslim, Middle Eastern immigrant, Subeh also sees little inclusion of his culture in mainstream cinema, let alone on the Oscars stage.
“We won’t be mentioned until Aladdin is raised. I don’t feel motivated to bring my family together on Sunday for a four-hour awards ceremony that never says anything about our culture and religion. But as Muslims we make up about 25% of the world’s population, ”he said.
Jon Niccum, 55, in Lawrence, Kansas, teaches screenwriting at Kansas State University. He is a filmmaker, attended film school and worked as a film critic. He and his wife hold an annual Oscar party, with 30 guests in its heyday, including a bet on winners for money and prizes. It will only be for families this year due to the pandemic, but the bets are on.
And watch all the top films at home? For the most part, he said, “It was less satisfying.” Less satisfying enough to ditch the Oscars broadcast?
“I haven’t missed any Oscars since 45 years ago. I’ll be looking at it every minute, ”Niccum said.
In Medford, New Jersey, 65-year-old Deb Madison will also watch, as she has done since she was a child when her mother first took her to the movies.
In 2018, while on a motorhome road trip with her husband, she had him cycle with her to town in Carlsbad, New Mexico, to find a place to watch. The ride back was pitch black. Another year, while she was working on the reception desk at a major Philadelphia party at Oscars night, dispatchers installed the cable and provided her with a small TV hidden under the welcome desk so she could tune in.
This year, trying to keep up with the nominees from home has quelled her excitement, Madison said.
“I’m a sucker for the red carpet and the dresses and,” Oh my god, I can’t believe she wore that. “Another thing is that I don’t really need to see these actors in their home environment,” she said with a laugh. “If I missed it this year, it wouldn’t be tragic. Nobody would have to install cable this year. But I love it. still love movies. “