The 94th Academy Awards ceremony next month will feature a slimmed-down running time in an effort to increase viewership, organizers announced Wednesday. After last year’s ceremony hit a record low number of viewers, with only 9.85 million people tuning in, the awards show seems to be in a bit of reshaping.
The Academy President David Rubin sent an email stating that eight categories from the upcoming ceremony will not be presented during the live telecast. “We must prioritize the television audience to increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant,” Rubin said in the letter.
The eight categories that have been cut from the show include documentary short, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short and sound.
Instead of broadcasting every category, the Dolby Theatre ceremony will begin an hour before the telecast does. The presentation and speeches of those early, eight winners will be edited and featured during the three-hour live broadcast, according to the Associated Press.
Many in Hollywood criticized the decision. Actor Patton Oswalt tweeted: “Dear @TheAcademy — with the utmost respect, this is a dumb and disrespectful move.”
Other Twitter users called for the Oscars to keep the original format with the hashtag #PresentAll23.
The awards presented during the live telecast on Sunday, March 27 include:
- Picture
- Director
- Actor
- Actress
- Supporting Actor
- Supporting Actress
- Animated Feature Film
- Cinematography
- Costume Design
- Documentary (Feature)
- International Feature Film
- Original Screenplay
- Adapted Screenplay
- Original Song
- Visual Effects
Arturo Holmes
The Academy Awards also have recently announced their new hosts in an effort to draw in viewers. In previous years, the show has gone host-less but this year the Academy announced that Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall will be hosting.
