Oscars Should Livestream to Grow Audience

February 10, 2020 at 4:54pm
By Jason Stettner

The Oscars 2020 drew 23.6 million viewers on ABC, which is down around six million viewers from the previous year which is also about 20% lower than 2019. The drop-off in the 18-49 year bracket was also down 31% from the prior show. The best way to remedy this issue would be to move to livestreaming, at least in my opinion.

This isn’t the typical online streaming that might be present within the United States, but a push for a global option. You can see the success this setup provides with The Game Awards. In 2019 they were able to reach more than 45.2 million viewers which stomps on the Oscars. Even the year prior which was at 26.2 million was a stronger turn out.


This is achieved through making the show available everywhere. It can be streamed on Youtube, Twitch, Mixer and so many other services. This is the best way to attract that younger audience that doesn’t care for traditional TV anymore. It would be the way to grow the Oscars going forward.

I mean, the clips are almost immediately available on Youtube as they show on TV, so it makes no sense not to take advantage of that massive market to grow the show. They would definitely be able to keep their special sponsorships, while gaining an ever growing audience that’s available online and globally. I feel this would be the best way to take this award show, and others going forward. They’re showcasing the Oscars and other award shows to a dying market. The traditional TV one.

An even crazier idea might be to take advantage of other streaming platforms such as Disney+ or Netflix, I mention the former considering the ABC ties to the Oscars home network. Anyways, you get the point and it might be the way to save while growing the longevity of this long running show. You can read our review of Joker below, or check out the hub for additional coverage from the year in film.

Read our Joker Review
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