The number of awards handed out during the broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards will be cut this year.
David Rubin, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said the awards for eight categories will be presented before the live broadcast on March 27, The Associated Press reported.
The following awards will be presented earlier in the day:
- Film editing
- Production design
- Sound
- Makeup and hairstyling
- Music (original score)
- Documentary short film
- Live action short film
- Animated short film
The categories will be presented at the start of the ceremony but an hour before the live show is broadcast.
The presentations and speeches for those select categories will be edited and shown during the broadcast so each winner will still get their “Oscar moment,” Rubin said in a letter announcing the change.
He said the decision was made for the future health of the awards show, the AP reported.
“When deciding how to produce the Oscars, we recognize it’s a live event television show and we must prioritize the television audience to increase viewer engagement and keep the show vital, kinetic, and relevant,” Rubin wrote, according to the AP.
This isn’t the first time organizers have wanted to freshen the broadcast.
In 2019, the academy wanted to air four categories in a short taped segment, but after fans spoke out about the change, the academy changed its mind days before the show.
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The show also hasn’t had a host for the past few Oscars, but that changed this year with three masters of ceremonies — Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.
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The academy is also allowing fans to vote on their favorite movies through Twitter.
The end of the show is also reverting to past practices. Unlike the 2021 broadcast, the 2022 Oscars will once again end with the best picture award, instead of last year’s show ending with the best actor announcement, the AP reported.