Setting the stage… A decade after the Ellen selfie, awards shows are back in focus. Last month the Grammys scored 16.9M viewers — the most since 2020. The Golden Globes saw a 50% jump from 2023. Last year’s Oscars ceremony hit a three-year high of 19M viewers (still dramatically down from 40M viewers a decade ago). The rise of cord-cutting and a lack of interest from the social-media generation has some show organizers turning to streaming. This year’s SAG Awards moved to Netflix after 25 years on cable. In 2021, the Country Music Awards ditched CBS for Amazon Prime. ABC’s long-time Oscars broadcasting contract runs out in 2028.
Roll credits… Oscar votes are kinda like peer reviews. Over 10K industry professionals are members in the Academy, with each allowed to vote for nominees in their respective categories (think: best director, best actor). But after nomination controversies (remember: #OscarsSoWhite) the Academy has been inviting hundreds of new members each year, hoping to boost representation.
Close-up shot: 88% of best-picture nominees’ box-office revenue came from “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.