Claiming concern that the February 2009 transition to HD will leave many viewers in analogue limbo and staring at static on Oscar night, ABC wants to move the Oscars to March. Variety says:
The Oscars are set to be broadcast from the Kodak Theater on Sunday, Feb. 22 — just five days after the country’s much-ballyhooed transition to digital TV takes place…
That’s why, insiders confirm, the Alphabet web had been hoping to move the Academy Awards back into March, even though the awards season has been moving earlier and earlier in recent years. Next year’s Golden Globes, for example, are set to air Jan. 11 — the show’s earliest date yet.
Buried deeper in paragraph 5, the reason for ABC’s anxiety is better explained:
A one-time push of the Oscarcast into March would help ABC avoid any transition-related hiccup — and at the same time keep the kudos inside a sweeps month. Nielsen Media Research has already moved next February’s sweeps period to March in order to give stations time to iron out any digital transition problems.
Sure, ABC/Disney wants everybody to see WALL-E win Best Animated Feature, but mainly they want to keep their big event safely inside the adjusted sweeps month calendar
9 Responses for "ABC wants the Oscars moved to March"
The Variety article maintains that the Academy isn’t budging — although Gil Cates won’t be producing — and then adds this:
They moved it at the last minute when Reagan got shot. Now they can wait until the last minute when the signal is missing to move it again.
Hum… i think thats a very bad idea!
http://takea-break.blogspot.com
The best part of this news is that Cates won’t be producing the Oscarcast.
I think this is a good idea. It will be nice to see how the race progresses with an extra month. Maybe the juggernauts will lose steam and smaller films will take the spotlight – if this happens, it could be good news for “The Visitor”, “Frozen River”, “I’ve Loved You So Long”, “Happy-Go-Lucky” and “Rachel Getting Married”, all of which will benefit from DVD release attention.
True what Pierre says about Cates, malthough he did direct I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER, one of the great American dramas of the 70’s from a play by Robert Anderson. But making a great movie and directing the Oscar show are admittedly drastically different propositions.
I personally feel the Oscar show worked better in March than it does in February, but it has more to do with my personal schedule and of those who attend my Oscar night party.
“But making a great movie and directing the Oscar show are admittedly drastically different propositions.”
To paraphrase Kate Hepburn in On Golden Pond, “Oh, Gilbert — you old poop!”
a fine idea
I have to admit I liked it better when the show was in March. It was for purely selfish reasons…it is much warmer weather in March and I have a better turnout for my Oscar party.
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