Why Oscars Remain Big Money for ABC Despite Expected Record-Low Audience

When the Oscars take place next Sunday, it’s pretty much a guarantee the 2021 show will suffer the same fate that has bedeviled award show siblings in the last year: Record-low viewership that is down catastrophically from the year before. And yet, the Academy Awards remain incredibly valuable to ABC, with the network charging advertisers around $2 million per spot, according to Variety. (The network has not responded to TheWrap’s request for comment on the price.) Last year’s show — which fell to a record-low viewership of 23.6 million — brought in $129 million in ad revenue for the three-hours-and-change show, according to Kantar Media data, a number that jumped to $145 million when you add in the one-hour pre-show. Last year’s average 30-second ad spot went for $2.1 million, with some marketers paying as much as $2.66 million, according to data from advertising research firm SQAD. Also Read: Can Oscars Avoid the Ratings Disaster Felt by the Golden Globes and Grammys? COVID can’t be solely blamed if the Oscars falls to another low. Like just about everything else on TV, the Oscars has been losing audience every year. With the exception of a one-year blip in 2019, the first...

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