Ever since Amazon Studios’ 2016 film Manchester by the Sea became the first movie from a streaming service to be nominated for a best picture Oscar, competitors have spent millions of dollars campaigning for a prize that has been out of reach.
ABC’s Rob Mills was sitting in the Oscars production trailer on Sunday night when the show’s producers and director Glenn Weiss realized things were starting to go awry.
Sian Heder’s CODA, which first premiered at a virtual Sundance Film Festival in winter 2021, started out as an underdog but gradually emerged as the Oscars’ feel-good favorite. It also had one very deep-pocketed backer in Apple TV+, which scored its first best picture Academy Award on Sunday, less than three years after launching the service. It also handed another near-miss defeat to Netflix, the veteran streamer that for years has tried vainly to score best picture. Its best chance, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, came in with a leading 12 nominations. It won one, for Campion’s direction.
Disney Advertising Sales said that the commercial inventory for Sunday’s Oscars telecast is sold out. The top tier of sponsors — ”proud sponsors” — include newcomers Crypto.com and, Pfizer, as well as returning sponsors Rolex and Verizon. Proud sponsors get four spots in the telecast. While traditional TV viewership is dropping, and even major events like the Academy Awards have seen their ratings plunge, streaming services have clamored to be seen by movie fans on the ABC broadcast.
