A new update has been revealed on the ongoing controversy with the 94th Academy Awards broadcast. In February, it was announced that eight awards were to be pulled from the broadcast of the ceremonies. According to a source from The Hollywood Reporter, it was reported that a representative from ABC gave them the ultimatum.

Film Editing, Documentary Short, Original Score, Makeup/Hairstyling, Animated Short, Live-Action Short, Production Design, and Sound. These are the categories that were announced to be pulled from the original telecast. Instead, the awards will be revealed an hour before the live telecast, recorded, and then edited into the live broadcast. The remaining 15 other categories will be presented as they always have been, live and on schedule.

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When the news was first announced, it was met with a loud backlash from both industry and film fans through social media. “Film Twitter” cried out against the academy for what was taken as a slap in the face to those within those particular categories, the film editors, the visual effects artists, and more. Laura Karpman, an Academy governor of the music branch, spoke out on the controversy.

Though, there have been a few voices calling out and defending the Academy, pointing out that the Tonys utilizes a similar strategy for its own telecast. Others have called for fans to simply look at the numbers. The 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 averaged 10.4 million viewers, which was less than half of the viewers for the previous year’s ceremony. The pandemic took a similar hit on other award ceremonies of that year such as the Emmys and Grammys. But this was where ABC reportedly came into the situation.

The Mouse and the Oscars

     ABC

While news of the ongoing controversy about the upcoming Academy Awards was fresh, at first the Academy was staying silent on the issue. But it didn’t take long for members and governors to speak up over what happened to lead up to where we are now, though most of them chose to only give vague details on the process.

But one particular member, who is a governor of one of the branches that lost a category on the live telecast but wishes to remain anonymous, finally spoke out on what happened to The Hollywood Reporter. This governor says that he was told that ABC had warned the Academy that it would cancel the Oscars telecast, via a clause in the Academy and ABC’s deal for the Oscars’ broadcasting rights, if 12 categories were not removed from the show.

What ended up happening was a compromise. Instead of the initial 12 categories to cut, the Academy managed to convince ABC to let them cut down only 8. The removal of the 8 categories will also give the Academy time needed to restore certain elements from the ceremony that were cut from last year. The ceremony will regain a host (though this year it will be three), clips of the nominated films will return, and performances of the best original song nominees will come back as well.

ABC and the Academy go way back. The network, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, has not only aired the ceremony since 1976, but also pretty much keeps them running. The network reportedly pays the Academy an annual licensing fee of close to $100 million, which makes up the majority of the organization’s budget. So it’s pretty easy to see why losing ABC would be a major blow from multiple directions. Not only would the awards not be able to bring in viewers on the network, but such projects as the Academy’s film research library and their newly-opened Academy Museum in Los Angeles could go under.

Ultimately, this situation going on boils down to the almighty dollar. It also adds another note to the ongoing topic of Disney’s growing empire and monopoly on the film and entertainment industry. There isn’t exactly any easy answers to this situation, but at the end of the day, it’s important to remember one thing. The movies and media that bring us all so much joy in these dark times? They’re made by real people with talent, skill, and love for what they do. If you happen to come across somebody in the industry, such as an editor, VFX artist, sound mixer, or any of the hundreds of jobs in the industry in person or on social media. Tell them thanks for making the world a brighter place.