A producer of the Oscars revealed that viewers of the Hollywood awards show turn off their televisions when celebrities begin talking about politics.
“One recent producer of the Oscars, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential metrics, said minute-by-minute post-show ratings analysis indicated that ‘vast swaths’ of people turned off their televisions when celebrities started to opine on politics,” the New York Times reported on Sunday.
GRAMMYS RATINGS FREE-FALL, COULD BE LOWEST IN AWARD SHOW’S HISTORY
Sports and awards shows have been hit with crippling ratings since last year as athletes and celebrities become more vocal about their political ideologies, including slamming former President Donald Trump and vocalizing support for the Marxist-led Black Lives Matter movement.
The Grammy Awards, for example, saw ratings hit a record low of 8.8 million viewers, which was down 53% from 2020. Some of the performances featured Black Lives Matter protesters demanding “justice” from President Joe Biden and a raunchy rendition of “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.
The Oscars are scheduled for this Sunday, and there’s already speculation it will be a flop with viewers.
“Now, as Hollywood prepares for a coronavirus-delayed Academy Awards telecast on April 25 on ABC, it is faced with the ultimate doomsday scenario: that the viewing public is ready to toss its premier showcase into the entertainment dustbin, plopped next to variety shows. Oscar, meet Lawrence Welk and his bubbles,” the New York Times added in its report.
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Advertisers have also been tepid in 2021, with Ferrero Rocher chocolates not returning to run ads and ABC asking for less money to run 30-second advertisements.
“We’re really not getting much advertiser interest,” Michelle Chong, planning director at the agency Fitzco, said. “And it’s not something we’ve been pushing.”
