The tiresome, hypocritical politics of the Oscars

The year the Oscars had its highest viewership, Titanic won best picture. That was 1998, when the broadcast drew in 55.25 million viewers. “A billion people tuning in to see,” Billy Crystal sang in his opening monologue. A small fraction of a billion, perhaps, but the claim wasn’t as ludicrous then as it would be now.

The Oscars had its worst year ever in 2018, with a measly viewership of 26.5 million. The following year’s host-less Oscars saw a slight bump to 29.6 million — though it’s still a far cry from years past. Host-less again, the Oscars might expect to see a similar bump in numbers this year. But the Academy Awards still hasn’t figured out its real problem.