August 08, 2018
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will execute some significant changes for their 2019 broadcast of the 91st Academy Awards in February. This comes after what was the lowest-rated Academy Awards show on record with 26.5 million viewers. It was also the longest Oscars in a decade, running at three hours and 50 minutes.
CEO Dawn Hudson and President John Bailey penned a letter to its members about changes made to the awards show. After a meeting with the Board of Governors on Tuesday night, the board decided to take some cues from the Grammys. The show will cut smaller categories from the telecast and the air time will go to select categories. The goal, as was mentioned in the letter, is to produce “an entertaining show in three hours.”
The second major announcement of these changes is the addition of a new category for “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film.” They add to this by saying, “Eligibility requirements and other key details will be forthcoming.” This means movies like "Wonder Woman" and "Deadpool" will now have a shot at winning an Oscar.
The last major change the board made is a move in air date for the 92nd Academy Awards to Feb. 9 2020 in lieu of Feb. 23. This change will ensure that the broadcast will be in the middle of award season as opposed to the tail end.
You can read the full letter to the Academy's members here.
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