The Oscars have fallen heavily out of favor with black viewers recently, but has the award show ever really been a crowd favorite among this demographic?
As previously reported, there has been plenty of discussion regarding the lack of diversity present in the Oscar nomination pool this year, the measures taken to correct it and the stars who have elected to boycott the ceremony, which will air next week on Feb. 28. Now, new reports are showing that even without the added controversy, black viewership of the Oscars has never been high.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, black people make up 13.2 percent of the population and watch the most television. However, they make up less than 20 percent of Oscars viewership, and the number of viewers is down from last year. In 2014, 4.1 million people watched the ceremony; however, in 2015, only 3.3 million people watched. Meanwhile, the BET Awards has been able to maintain almost 90 percent of its total viewership.
“African-American viewers watch shows that they can relate to. When you have African-American nominees, they’re usually excited about the prospect of them winning and they tune in in larger numbers," said Darrell Hunt, director of UCLA's Ralph Bunche.
In fact, the highest amount of viewers for the Academy Awards was in 2005, which was the last time Chris Rock hosted. It was also the year Jamie Foxx and Morgan Freeman took home the top actor awards for their work in Ray and Million Dollar Baby, respectively.
When it comes to other award shows, however, the numbers don't seem to differ much. The Golden Globes has had about 5.2 to 10.6 percent viewership, peaking in 2007, and has remained at a little under 7 percent over the last three years, while the Emmys have remained in the 6 to 7 percent range with a high point of 14.3 percent last year due to Viola Davis' win for Best Actress in a Drama.