NOW for the second year in a row, the Oscars will go hostless. ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke made the announcement Wednesday. ABC will again broadcast the ceremony as part of its long-term agreement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Burke suggested that ABC and the Academy would likely follow the same successful formula that saw a rare ratings uptick for the 2019 ceremony. “We are extremely happy with how the show went. Odds are you’ll see us repeating what we consider to be a successful formula.” Last year’s kudocast, which saw “Green Book” win for best picture, averaged nearly 30 million viewers, up a whopping 11.5 percent year-over-year, and a 7.7 rating among the all-important adults 18-49 demographic, up 13 percent from a year ago. That bucked a downward spiral for the awards show, which in 2018 hit an all-time low of 26.54 million viewers and a 6.8 in the 18-49 demo. Last year, while Kevin Hart was originally supposed to host the Academy Awards ceremony, the comedian stepped down from the role following controversial tweets. Recent awards shows have chosen to go hostless, including the 2019 Emmy Awards on Fox. But the 2020 Golden Globes did have acerbic emcee Ricky Gervais taking the stage for the fifth time, while Alicia Keys is set to return to host the 2020 Grammys.(SD-Agencies) |