Oscars: Reports of Its Death Greatly Exaggerated

There are those who pronounce every year that the Oscars are dead or dying, a dinosauric remnant of an earlier age when men were men and movies mattered. In addition, they think the show itself too long, too boring, too traditional, not traditional enough, too reverent, too flip, too uninclusive, too PC, etc, ad nauseum.

I personally enjoy the show (more or less) on its own terms, appreciate the convenient roundup of the year's best films in one place and at one time, and am glad there are still a few focal points left for the culture as a whole in this era of mass fragmentation.

The Wharton School agrees:

According to Nelson Gayton, managing director of Wharton's new Media and Entertainment Center and a general partner in Crayon Venture Partners, even with the proliferation of film award shows like the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Film Awards (better known as the BAFTAs), the Academy Awards spectacle holds its own. "In a day and age when there are so many shows out there, the Oscar brand still finds a way to distinguish itself. The Oscar is always the Oscar. It has stood the test of time."

Statistics show that in January, 16.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the Golden Globes, 40% less than the year before and far below this year's 41.5 million Oscar viewers. "The [Oscar] has history behind it that still has legitimacy," Gayton added. "There is still something to be said about being an 'Oscar Winner.' When I think of all the awards out there, the Oscar is that validation that you are being recognized by your peers as being the best of the best."

Wharton marketing professor David C. Schmittlein agrees. "Ask yourself: if you are going to watch one awards show, which one would you watch? I don't think the relative position [of the Oscars] has been challenged."

....Schmittlein argues that the "gnashing of teeth about the trajectory of viewers" for the Oscars show doesn't detract from the reality that the Academy Awards is "the signature award program as viewed by the general public. Other award shows are interesting and will get substantial viewership, but they don't challenge the Academy Awards for the preeminent position."

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Article Author: Eric Olsen

Career media professional Eric Olsen is honored to be the founder and former publisher of Blogcritics.org, and former publisher of Technorati.com, which both rule. He is now editor, co-founder, and CEO of The Morton Report.

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