The Oscars: great and controversial changes for the next galas
The Academy of Hollywood announced on Wednesday a series of changes in the ceremony of the Oscars that will take effect in the next edition of February 24, 2019. Among the main novelties stand out the new award for the most popular film and that the Announcement of any of the winners will take place during the commercial breaks.
Five months after the last television broadcast of its awards, the most famous in the film industry, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved these and other important changes in the format of the traditional ceremony in the hope of retaining the spectators and recover those who lost in the past. "We are committed to producing an entertaining three-hour show and offering more accessible prizes for our viewers around the world," the US organization said in a letter to its members. On the Board of Governors of the Academy, which met on Tuesday, John Bailey was re-elected for a second term as head of the institution and "significant changes" were approved in the broadcast. The loss of audience in recent years, with the latest edition as the least seen in its history with 26.5 million viewers, is among the reasons for this shift.
To ensure that the program does not exceed three hours, it has been decided that the winners in certain categories will be announced during the advertising breaks. From the organization consider that the broadcast is too long and that the delivery can be boring, because of the 24 awards to the general public only interested a few. For this reason, instead of eliminating from the broadcast those "less attractive" categories, the best moments of the delivery of some prizes and their speeches that are delivered during the publicity will be edited and broadcast during the retransmission. But the most significant change is the inclusion of a new category that will recognize the best movie with great popular success. This will ensure the presence at the Oscars of the most commercial films of the year, something that has not always occurred.
The requirements to access this category have not yet been announced by the Academy, which after discussing their situation over the past few months, has decided to bet on a gala that does not exceed three hours. The release of the date of the 92nd edition of the Oscar Awards on February 9, 2020, has also been communicated in that statement, without affecting the voting deadlines or the presentation of candidacies. The date of the next gala is held on February 24, 2019.
Thus, from the Academy they say "have heard what changes and developments the community wants" and, they promise, "will continue to fight to make the celebration of the Oscars a relevant element in a world as changing as ours." It is to be expected, although it has not been specified, that the changes regarding the duration and the new category will be implemented in the next edition, in February 2019.