ABC to Broadcast Oscars Through 2028
August 31 2016 - 9:17AM
Dow Jones News
By Austen Hufford
Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network has agreed to broadcast the
Academy Awards through 2028, in another example of a broadcaster
locking up key content for a long time.
Financial details of the extended contract weren't disclosed.
The previous deal was set to expire in 2020.
ABC has aired the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences'
movie-awards ceremony in the U.S. since 1976. "The Academy's
partnership with ABC has been one of the most enduring in
Hollywood," said Academy Chief Executive Dawn Hudson.
The new deal ends in 2028.
The move represents another long-term content contract signed by
a television network, even as the future of television remains
undetermined as its audience ages and viewers continue to flock
toward mobile and streaming video.
Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal has the U.S. media rights for the
Olympics through 2032. In June, CBS extended its rights deal with
the music industry's Grammy Awards through at least 2026.
About 34.4 million people tuned in for the ABC broadcast of the
Oscars this year, a 7.6% drop from the 37.3 million in the previous
year, according to Nielsen. The 88th annual show was the
least-watched Academy Awards since 2008. Viewership trails the 45
million viewers the show averaged in the 1990s.
"We are elated the Oscars will continue to call ABC home," said
Channing Dungey, president for ABC Entertainment. "The ceremony is
an important part of network programming."
The 89th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26,
2017.
Write to Austen Hufford at austen.hufford@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 31, 2016 09:02 ET (13:02 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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