Oscar gets a (potentially profitable) makeover
October 9th, 2008 at 12:07pm Will Pfeifer
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When the Academy Awards ceremony airs on Feb. 22, 2009, things will look a bit different. Not with the show itself — that’ll probably be the same combination of poorly chosen film clips, convoluted acceptance speechs and ill-conceived musical numbers. No, the change I’m talking about will involve the commercials.
For the first time, they’ll actually be advertising movies. According to an Associated Press story…
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board voted to allow commercials for movies to air on the Oscar telecast for the first time starting with the Feb. 22 ceremony on ABC, academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger said Wednesday. The vote Tuesday night lifts a ban on movie advertising that had been in place since the Oscars hit the airwaves in the early 1950s.”
The rules will limit ads to one spot per distributor, and the ads must (a) be brand new, (b) promote single movies opening two months after the Oscars or later, and (c) not contain the words “Academy Awards” or “Oscars.”
These restrictions are aimed at making sure no one gets the idea that just because a studio is advertising during the Oscars it might be influencing the winners. Personally, I’m just glad that while watching a TV show about movies, I’ll be able to actually see ads for upcoming movies.
Let’s just hope they’re good movies.
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3 Comments Add your own
1. Brian M | October 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I, for one, was thrilled when I first heard about this news yesterday. Especially with all the restrictions about having never aired before and being for films opening after late April - it means these will probably be our first looks at stuff from major summer blockbusters or even fall Oscar contenders for the following year.
I’m oddly excited by this. It makes the Oscars a little less stuffy, and makes even the commercials worth watching, like the Super Bowl.
…or maybe I’m just a geek.
2. Will Pfeifer | October 9th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
If that makes you a geek, Brian, then the same goes for me, because I’m jazzed about this news too. Why shouldn’t the Oscars be the venue for high profile movie ads? It only makes sense!
3. Jerry | October 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
It’s a smart play to help boost the slumping ratings for the telecast first and foremost. And Brian’s right, The Oscars now become a venue for the first look at the big films for the rest of the year. Seems like a natural and all-around smart decision.
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