Why the Oscars Audience Just Plummeted Almost 20 Percent (Analysis)

Jimmy Kimmel's second turn hosting the Oscars lost nearly 20 percent of the overall audience that tuned in last year. With *just* 26.5 million total viewers, Sunday's awards show on ABC not only set a new all-time low in viewership, it obliterated the old mark by 17 percent.

Yes, last night was a disaster for the Disney-owned broadcaster, show producers, and those who ponied up millions to buy ad time (we're looking at you, super-weird Kinder Eggs candy) on the special -- but what went wrong? Happy to tell you.

Blame-gamers (like us, we suppose) need to look no further than the very movies we were celebrating. This year, only two of the bloated nine Best Pictures options made more than $100 million at the box office. And only one of those, "Dunkirk," came out over the summer, which is primetime as far as films are concerned. The other blockbuster (from a ticket sales and ROI standpoint, at least) was "Get Out," which premiered more than a year ago.

Sometimes absence does not make the heart grow fonder.

Also Read: Oscars Viewership Drops to All-Time Low of 26.5 Million

It certainly didn't help the 90th Academy Awards that live TV ratings have been steadily declining overall for years now. And in the current season -- even counting one week's worth of DVR viewing where available -- ABC is down 11 percent in total viewers, compared to a net decline of about 5 percent for the Big 4 broadcast networks overall.

But those trends alone should only account for maybe a quarter of the overall loss. Last year's 32.9 million viewers was down 4 percent from the prior one, for example, while 2016's 34.3 million audience members dipped 6 percent from its own predecessor.

The 2018 Academy Awards also ran way too long. Since Nielsen ratings are the average of a show's overall audience, a three-hour program running 3:50 (and nearing midnight on the east coast) only dilutes tune-in. The 2017 Oscars overrun was even longer, but its "La La Land"-"Moonlight" Best Picture fiasco made it worth the wait.

We've got work in the morning, guys.

Additionally, any strong political statement has the potential to alienate audiences. No, the Oscars weren't advertised on political terms, but host Jimmy Kimmel has increasingly used his ABC talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" as a political forum. At the same time, Hollywood at large is going through an extremely political period, as evidenced by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Audiences therefore had good reason to expect politically-charged content at the Oscars as well, and some of them -- particularly Middle-America viewers who propel "Big Bang Theory" ratings or put Donald Trump into the White House -- might have tuned out.

Also Read: Seth MacFarlane Thinks There's Too Much Drama at the Oscars

Other potential (minor) contributors to last night's decline and record-low could be the predictability of the award winners. There really weren't many surprises last night. To steal a term from college basketball's upcoming March Madness, the results were all "chalk."

A poorly received Kimmel cold open didn't do his employer any favors either. His monologue was much better -- should've just started there, Jim. Unfortunately, the recycled stars-meet-fans gag and other bits fell flatter throughout the night.

Finally, bad weather back in New York and Boston may not have helped things, especially if the local power didn't cooperate. At this point though, we're admittedly just grasping at straws.

So if we're being honest: It's all your fault, Guillermo del Toro.

13 Best and Worst Oscars Moments, From Frances McDormand's Speech to Gael Garcia Bernal's Singing (Photos)

Although the set design was way over the top with gothic chandeliers and abstract light installations, the 90th Academy Awards were filled with heartwarming but also gut-wrenching moments
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BEST: Rita Moreno

Literally everything about Rita Moreno rocked on Sunday night. Not only did she wear parts of her 1962 Oscars dress when she won an award for “West Side Story, but she also delivered maybe the most over-the-top yet amazing laugh when opening an envelope. Also, Moreno hasn’t aged one day.
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WORST: Set Design

From bizarre eastern-inspired columns and altars, gothic chandeliers, abstract light installations and what looks like two Lady Gaga shoulder pads framing the stage, we have no idea what in God's name was going on with set design this year.
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BEST: Old-Timey Opening Package

For just a split second, you couldn’t tell whether the 2018 Oscars telecast had begun, but soon it became clear that the old-timey film spool was serving as the opening to the awards show. Presented in black and white, the package poked fun at Emma Stone and Armie Hammer and honed in on attendees in the audience -- and at the end, it was revealed that Jimmy Kimmel was narrating the package in the antique voiceover style.
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WORST: Gael Garcia Bernal Singing "Remember Me"

Gael Garcia Bernal singing nominated song "Remember Me" from Oscar-winning film "Coco" wasn't on point. Sure, it was maybe meant to be endearing, but Bernal's performance missed the mark. But we're kind of relieved there is something Bernal isn't good at.
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BEST: Helen Mirren's Jet Ski Pose

Jimmy Kimmel surprised everyone with a need-for-speed gift -- whoever gave the shortest acceptance speech would win a jet ski. And who better to present the jet ski than Dame Helen Mirren? Mark Bridges ended up taking the jet ski home -- along with an Oscar for Best Costume Design for “The Phantom Thread.”
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WORST: "Star Wars" Stars Banter With BB-8

Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar Isaac and Mark Hamill took the stage with BB-8 for some endearing and light-hearted banter, but the audience just kind of politely applauded to humor the group.
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BEST: Mark Wahlberg/Michelle Williams Joke

While Mark Wahlberg glossed over the uncomfortable truth with a $1.5 million donation to Time’s Up, Oscar host Kimmel was not going to let the audience forget that the movie star was paid all that cash for reshoots on “All the Money in the World.” His costar Michelle Williams only got her per diem of $80 per day, and the pair have the same agency in WME, run by Wahlberg's rep Ari Emanuel. “If we can’t trust agents, who can we trust?” Kimmel joked.
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WORST: Joyless Oscar Audience Watching Ecstatic Normals Getting Visited by Celebrities

Jimmy Kimmel improved on his tour bus bit from last year by taking an undercover group of nominees and stars into a nearby advance screening of “A Wrinkle in Time.” Armed with a hot dog gun, buckets of candy and even a huge sub sandwich, stars like Gal Gadot and Emily Blunt shocked regular moviegoers by crashing their evening. The big screen inside the theater reverted to a live shot of the Oscars audience, who looked bored and unimpressed by the stunt.
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BEST: Allison Janney Thanks the "I, Tonya" Bird

When Janney won Best Supporting Actress for her role in "I, Tonya," she thanked the legendary bird for her award.

"To my 'I, Tonya' family: the magnificent Margot Robbie, the fearless Craig Gillespie, a cast and crew and bird that elevated my work," she said.
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BEST: Dreamers Mention From Lupita Nyong'o and Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani and Lupita Nyong'o took their time on stage to share a powerful message for the Dreamers -- the recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program, which had a supposed end date on Monday after Trump ended DACA in September.

"Like everyone in this room and everyone watching at home, we are dreamers," Nyong'o said. "We grew up dreaming of one day working in the movies. Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood, and dreams are the foundation of America."
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BEST: Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph Presenting

The two comedians had the entire audience in tears when they came on stage in their gowns and slippers, and Haddish told Meryl Streep that she wanted her to be her "mama one day."
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BEST: "This Is Me" Performance

Keala Settle moved everyone to tears with her performance of "This Is Us" from "The Greatest Showman," getting everyone in the audience moving and singing along.

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BEST: Frances McDormand's Acceptance Speech

Frances McDormand was so shaken by her Best Actress win that she told the audience to pick her up if she falls down "because she has some things to say." She then invited every female Oscar nominee in the room to stand up, bringing many to tears. She then urged listeners to help tell female stories and finished her speech with "Inclusion Rider."
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Probably the best moment of the night -- no Best Picture flub this year

Although the set design was way over the top with gothic chandeliers and abstract light installations, the 90th Academy Awards were filled with heartwarming but also gut-wrenching moments

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13 Best and Worst Oscars Moments, From Frances McDormand's Speech to Gael Garcia Bernal's Singing (Photos)

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