The initial response to the ITV’s coverage of the Academy Awards was a combination of praise and criticism. After being shown on Sky’s pay-per-view for 20 years, the UK broadcast rights were acquired by ITV.
The overnight broadcast, which ran from 10:15pm to 2:30am, had a peak viewership of 1.1 million and an average of 630,000 viewers. However, there was a significant negative reaction to the style and structure of the broadcast.
Presented by Jonathan Ross, a former host of the now-defunct BBC weekly film show, the event featured a mixture of lively conversation and light-hearted banter between Ross and his panel of four.
Instead of inviting only film experts, ITV chose to include a diverse group of individuals for the event, such as Fay Ripley from Cold Feet, comedian Doc Brown, Richard Armitage from The Hobbit, and radio host Yinka Bokinni.
Despite having watched the main films, the panelists’ insights were not well received by viewers, who were also disappointed in their inability to correctly pronounce names like Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the winner for Best Supporting Actress.
Unfortunately, the recent airing of Killers of the Flower Moon, a cinematic retelling of the tragic Native American massacre, by director Martin Scorsese, received negative critiques from viewers. In addition, a segment on the popular television show Emmerdale received similar reactions from viewers, as well as a lengthy session of movie-themed Pictionary.
In the past, Sky’s coverage has followed a similar approach, where Alex Zane would interview four non-specialist individuals during commercial breaks as done in the US. However, due to the required subscription fee and the change in the ceremony’s start time this year, there were likely fewer viewers who were familiar with the format.
The last time the Oscars were broadcast on UK television for free was in 2004, during the period when the BBC had the live broadcasting rights. Sky’s coverage has experienced a decline in viewership over the past few years, with only 35,000 viewers in 2023 compared to nearly double that in 2022.
The United States has experienced a comparable trend, with Everything Everywhere All at Once winning last year and seeing a slight increase to 18.8 million, after recording 16.6 million in 2022.
In 1998, the live broadcast of the show was viewed by 57 million people in the US. The ratings for this year’s US telecast will be announced on Monday.
Discover more information about the 2024 Academy Awards.
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Source: theguardian.com
