Lights, camera, action! The 94th annual Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, is right around the corner. Nominations are in and viewers all around are tuning in hoping to hear their favorite film, actor, actress or original song after “And the Oscar goes to…”
Whether cozying up on the couch with family, or comparing nomination brackets with friends, we wanted to learn more about how Disney viewers* are planning on watching the awards ceremony this year and their thoughts on the advertisements.
Advertisements During The Oscars Work
People might tune into The Oscars for historic moments, iconic speeches and red-carpet fashion, but they also look forward to the commercials. 90% of Disney viewers are favorable toward advertisements during The Oscars.
Oscars viewers are engaged with ads! Among viewers, we saw significantly greater ad awareness and purchase consideration of Oscars advertisers, and this audience is also more likely to recommend these brands to others. When brands take advantage of social, digital, and linear opportunities, we see the greatest lifts across ad awareness and purchase consideration. A multi-platform approach also increases the likelihood that consumers will recommend the brands to others.
Even more, ads during The Oscars lead to action! After seeing an ad during the show, Disney viewers have looked online for more information about a brand, talked to friends and family about it, visited the brand website, and even purchased an item.
The “super Bowl” of award shows
The Super Bowl and The Oscars have more in common than you’d think! More than half of Oscars viewers consider Oscars ads to be on-par with Super Bowl ads. And while the Super Bowl is the culmination of the season for football fans, The Academy Awards is the top celebration of the year in cinema. Over 3-in-4 Oscars viewers consider The Oscars the “Super Bowl” of award shows. Additionally, Disney viewers think The Oscars are the perfect ending to the award season (91%).
Disney viewers are avid award show watchers who tune into the Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes, and Country Music Awards, but The Oscars wins as Disney viewers’ favorite award show to watch. Even more, The Oscars was the most watched award show last year.
The Gold Standard of Award Shows
Pass the champagne! The glitz and glamor, star power, and artistic moments really make The Oscars feel special. The majority of Disney viewers (91%) consider The Oscars the gold standard of award shows and 88% think it’s a more ‘up-scale’ experience than other award shows.
A Highly Anticipated Event
The hype around The Oscars is real. This year, 54% of Disney viewers plan to watch The Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27.
While the show might be one night only, fans are buzzing about their favorite nominees long before and after the trophies are awarded. 63% of viewers agree that The Oscars are what everyone’s talking about leading up to and following the event. To stay up-to-date on information around it, Disney viewers actively follow on social media and watch coverage on shows like Good Morning America and LIVE! With Kelly and Ryan. In fact, the post-Oscars Live! With Kelly and Ryan episode that aired on April 26 was the most social episode in April 2021 with 15.5K social interactions.
Hollywood at Home
While we may not have a golden ticket to the award ceremony in Hollywood, we’re finding that Disney viewers are looking forward to experiencing the luxury of The Oscars from the comfort of their home. On average, Oscars viewers spent a total of $88 last year enhancing their viewing experiences with snacks, drinks and decorations.
While some plan to get glammed up at home and enjoy a specialty cocktail, others are looking forward to rocking their favorite PJs and eating pizza on the couch. Either way, home is where the heart is, with 94% of Disney viewers preferring to watch The Oscars at home versus a restaurant or bar.
Here’s what our viewers have to say about what they have planned:
Bringing Us Together
The Oscars was one of the most co-viewed award shows last year, with nearly half of all viewers watching with someone else. This year, Disney viewers plan on watching with their significant other (53%) or with their children (29%).
Some top moments they’re looking forward to experiencing together include seeing the performances and speeches (54%), seeing their favorite actors and filmmakers get recognized (52%), and making a game out of guessing the winners (30%).
And the Oscar Goes To…
It’s time to study up and binge-watch movies in preparation for The Oscars. But, before you go mark your calendars, make your plans, and get ready to cast your best guesses for the 2022 Oscars, here’s a quick recap of what we’ve learned:
From Ad to Action:
Commercials during The Oscars raise awareness and interest in products. Viewers enjoy watching the ads and are led to action whether talking about it, purchasing items, or visiting brand websites.
It’s Highly Anticipated:
The Oscars unites TV lovers and movie buffs alike for their favorite award show. It marks the culmination of the Award Show season for Disney viewers and they look forward to making a full evening out of the event!
Viewers Want to be Part of the Social Conversation:
Viewers love to stay up-to-date on all things Oscars-related both before and after the event via social media, news shows and highlights.
It’s an At-Home Event:
Viewers look forward to staying in and co-viewing The Oscars with friends and family from their home. Whether dressing up or sporting a favorite PJ set, this is a night full of bonding, comfort food, and guessing award winners!
Source: Disney Dialogue, The Oscars 2022, February 2022
Source: Nielsen (NNTV), April 2020 – April 2021, data is P2+ LSD.
Source: Nielsen (NPower), 9/21/20-4/25/21, HML based on P2+ PUT Terciles, Award Ceremony Type Code – excluding Parades, Spanish Language Content and award shows with AA under 1MM, data is LSD
Source: Oscars Attitudinal Report, 2021 (DISQO / Latitude)
Source: Talkwalker SCR, Linear Tracking, YouTube Excluded
Source: YouGov – 3.15.21 (nominations) – 4.26.21 (Day After Oscars)