The Oscars is the most-watched annual entertainment show, beating out its other competitors by a decent amount. Although viewership declined last year with an all-time low of 23 million viewers, it was still the second highest-rated broadcast behind the Super Bowl.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force, the producers and organizers behind the show have had to look at making several adjustments to the format of the awards event. Details have emerged stating that the Oscars will be broadcasting with an in-person show from multiple locations and not just from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for the event stated: “In this unique year that has asked so much of so many, the Academy is determined to present an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate. To create the in-person show our global audience wants to see, while adapting to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theatre. We look forward to sharing more details soon.”
The Academy has adjusted submissions to account for theater closures
Films were allowed to qualify for the highly-coveted awards ceremony through the Academy Screening Room, which viewed submissions within 60 days of the film’s theatrical, streaming or VOD release.
It’s refreshing to see the Academy go through so much to make this year’s show a resounding success despite the circumstances. It is being reported that the Academy has received one of the greatest numbers of submissions ever, with several diverse line-ups to be expected from the Oscars shortlist. The documentary feature submissions count has gone up from 170 to 238, a record-breaking number, and the foreign film category has received submissions from 93 countries, another record-breaker, vying for the golden statue. The Academy soon revealed its shortlist for nine categories and it was refreshing to see that there were 3 countries from Asia, 3 from Latin America, and two from Africa, which outnumbered the number of films from Europe in contention for the foreign film category for a historic first.
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Expect to see more diversity in Oscar nominations this year
While it’s still too early to tell who the clear favorites are to be nominated, the Oscars may just have one of the most diverse line-ups in multiple categories ever. We could potentially have the first woman of color nominated for directing and multiple other women nominated in the same category. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long as voting will commence from March 5-9, with the nominations to be released on March 15.
The Oscars will broadcast on April 25.
