The Academy Awards is aiming to lift its TV ratings out of the toilet with the introduction of a “fan favorite” award for best picture, which will be voted on by Twitter users. While the new award isn’t an official category and therefore won’t receive an Oscar statuette, the winner will be announced on ABC’s live Oscars telecast on March 27.
Oscars ratings have plummeted steadily over the past two decades, reaching a record low last year of around 10 million viewers — a staggering 58 percent drop from the previous year, which itself was a record low. ABC is looking for ways to juice ratings as viewers tired of woke lectures from wealthy celebrities continue to tune out by the millions.
The “fan favorite” award allows Twitter users to voice their pick for the best picture of 2021 by using the hashtag #OscarsFanFavorite or by voting through the Academy’s official site. Any movie released in the past year is eligible for the new award.
In addition, three Twitter users who cast their votes between February 14 and March 3 will be selected to present an Oscar at next year’s ceremony.
The Academy is partnering with Twitter on the new award. “The idea that a movie fan might see their tweet during the Oscars broadcast is pretty epic, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the Academy to bring this to life,” Sarah Rosen, Twitter’s head of U.S. entertainment and news partnerships, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The new award is at least partially intended to give more airtime to popular blockbusters, like Spider-Man: No Way Home, which received just one nomination.
Three years ago, the Academy floated the idea of introducing a new Oscars category — the “most popular” film award. But the Academy shelved the idea following blowback from the mainstream media.
The Oscars’ ratings crisis comes as the entertainment industry has fully embraced woke culture, with celebrities using Hollywood’s biggest night as a platform to lecture TV viewers on politics.
The phenomenon has had a measurable impact on Oscars viewership.
Last year, a former producer of the annual Academy Awards telecast revealed that progressive politics is a major turn-off for people at home, saying that viewers switched off their TVs whenever celebrities promoted political viewpoints, which in Hollywood are almost always left-wing.
As Breitbart News reported, this year’s Oscars will be hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall — all of whom are left-wing activists who have promoted Democratic politicians and smeared conservatives.
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