It seems that most people just aren’t that into award shows anymore. While the Oscars this year saw a slight increase in viewers, the ratings were still down. Many other award shows are seeing similar numbers. Nielsen released ratings that said 13.73 million people viewed the Oscars live and it received a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49 years old.
Nielsen is still working on more details, including how many people streamed the Oscars after it aired. Likely many viewed in after the drama between Chris Rock and Will Smith, which became the talk all over social media.
Not many people are tuning into the Oscars live anymore and ratings are down
During the show, Chris joked about Will’s wife, Jada and Will slapped him across the face for it. At first, people thought it was a joke but quickly realized that he was actually very upset about the issue. The live show panned away and the Academy issued a statement saying that they do not condone violence.
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Nielsen has shared that viewership for live television events, except NFL football games, has been declining for years. This is likely due to people cutting out cable and switching to streaming services. Others seem to be bored with award shows like the Oscars with only a few movies honored.
Award shows are also often criticized for being out of touch with the reality of most people’s lives, including making jokes about the COVID-19 pandemic. Did you watch the Oscars this year? If so, what did you think about it?
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