Major snubs aren’t only coming for movies this year but for categories of the Oscars. In a bid to attract more viewers and shorten the on-air Academy Awards telecast, it has been decided that eight out of the 23 awards categories will be presented in the Dolby Theatre in the hour before the live Oscars show begins.

It is is a clear attempt to tighten the focus on celebrity nominees in an effort to save the telecast after its worst year of ratings ever last year. The presentations of these eight awards will apparently still be recorded, and edited into future broadcasts of the full show.

Categories that won’t be seen in the initial live show include Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, and all types of nominated short films. A full list of the snubbed categories is available below.

ABC, The Academy’s broadcasting partner, chafed at last year’s abysmal viewer numbers, leading to these strong new calls that not all members are on board with. However, the sheer length of the Academy Awards ceremony has been an issue with general viewers for a while now. When awards presentations have to fit in the awards, music performances, and ad breaks, thinking of ways to streamline the ceremony is an undeniably smart move.

Another move to broaden the audience of this year’s telecast is by introducing a Fan Favorite category, where people can vote for their favorite movie of the year with a Twitter Hashtag in a contest that runs through March 3.

In a letter to Academy members, AMPAS President David Rubin explained the reasoning for the change. While he said it was still important that every nominee got their “Oscar Moment,” onstage and that footage of all winners will eventually be “folded seamlessly,” into the show, he is cutting these categories to “keep the show vital, kinetic and relevant.”

“In order to provide more time and opportunity for audience entertainment and engagement through comedy, musical numbers, film clip packages and movie tributes, a change in the show’s production will take place,” Rubin elaborated.

While this new approach may provide a boost in viewers that the Oscars so clearly need, some film fans and workers in these categories have lambasted the decision. Critics have fairly pointed out that the craft categories removed from the telecast are essential in making immersive and memorable films, and snubbing nominated short films from the live broadcast robs up-and-coming filmmakers from the exposure they deserve for being Oscar-nominated.

The Academy Awards are taking place on March 22. The show will feature Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes as hosts.

Leave a comment

Read more about: