The Academy has capitulated on all of their own proposals to shorten the Oscar broadcast and boost ratings: the host, the popular film category and now the relegation of certain categories to commercial break, like cinematography and editing. The public relations backlash alone made it not worth it, and there’s no guarantee the move would have boosted ratings. Even still, the Academy is going to have a tough time this year getting people to want to watch the Oscars at all. Without a host, it’s difficult to advertise it. Either way, the show must … go on.
According to Deadline:
“The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards – Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup and Hairstyling,” the officers of the Academy’s board of governors said. “All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format. We look forward to Oscar Sunday, February 24.”