And the Oscars Fight to be Relevant
The Oscar Army
Watch out, Jersey Shore; The Academy Awards isn’t going down without a fight.
It’s 2010 and everyone knows the Oscars have been losing steam for years. With the advent of reality TV, YouTube and TiVo, the world of exclusive, self-congratulatory, 4-hour telecasts simply can’t compete. The show sank to its lowest ratings of all time in 2008, with the 2009 broadcast barely scoring any better. And really, who can blame the audience, when the best clips are available online later that night? Anyone would rather watch a 4-hour marathon of something else—Jersey Shore, SVU, Ace of Cakes, etc. But this year the Academy Awards may have a couple of final tricks up its sleeve.
To anyone remotely tech-savvy, why the Academy Awards had not yet chosen to integrate social media (real-time blogging, Twitter updates, Facebook pools and polls) into its online presence will remain one of the best guarded secrets of all time. Yes, the awards show is meant to prestigious, conservative in choice, and loyal to the tradition of old Hollywood. We know. But what’s the point of remaining traditional if no one will watch? And quite honestly, the Academy Awards could not have an easier time; the hardest work has already been done for them. Fans have conducted local Oscar pools for decades. The interest is there, it simply needs to be expanded upon.
What will the next level include? It’s not entirely clear. According to executive producer Bill Mechanic, producers this year are aiming for 20% of their end-goal, which will not include Facebook or Twitter feeds. Current applications do include trivia games, mobile alerts, and a message board, very much reminiscent of the internet circa 2000. As the social world drives itself faster and faster, I’m unsure whether “something is better than nothing” can truly apply here.
Like any business attempting to make waves, the Academy Awards will need to achieve three goals—attract a live viewing audience, create a memorable experience and leave a lasting impression. The first is somewhat done—the large number of popular (read: non-traditional) choices for Best Picture has already created quite a stir amongst purists. But to secure the young demographic, who with their Twitter-length attention spans will watch the opening monologue and Best Picture Award (if anything at all), producers might have to risk a leap into the deep end.
[Courtesy of AdAge]
Seems to me that in 2010 a lot of bad tv shows will vanish and others will be made
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