Amid a rocky awards season, it seems the 2022 Oscars are keeping on with a few changes.
This week, Variety confirmed that not all categories will be presented on-air during the 94th annual Academy Awards. The move is an effort to make the ceremony a more streamlined and television-friendly broadcast for viewers. The eight categories that will not be announced on air will be awarded during the off-air parts of the show but later edited into the telecast.
Additionally, for the first time in years, it was announced that the Oscars will finally have a host — three, in fact. The Oscars will take place on March 27 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and be broadcast on ABC.
Here, WWD breaks down all you need to know about the upcoming Oscars. Scroll on for more.
When are the 2022 Oscars?
The 94th annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.
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Where will the 2022 Oscars be held?
The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, where it has normally been hosted since 2002 with the minor exception of last year’s scaled-back ceremony at the Los Angeles Union Station.
What will the format of the 2022 Oscars be?
In an effort to make this year’s awards show a more streamlined and television-friendly broadcast, the Academy has decided to cut a total of eight categories from the broadcast, meaning not all categories will be presented on-air. Instead, the prizes will be awarded during the off-air parts of the show but later edited into the telecast.
The categories that will be presented off-air are for documentary short, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live action short and sound. To accommodate the changes, the ceremony will begin one hour before the broadcast starts.
The Oscars normally have 23 categories, but the Academy has recently received criticism for its long duration, on top of lackluster ratings. Last year’s ceremony reportedly lasted more than three hours and dropped 51 percent in viewership, with more than 9 million viewers compared to the previous year’s nearly 19 million viewers, according to Variety.
The clips of the speeches will also be edited into the live telecast. The Academy has also moved the honorary awards from the broadcast, planning to award them another night.
“After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organization,” David Rubin, president of the Academy, wrote in his letter.
“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,” the letter continued.
Who is nominated for the 2022 Oscars?
Among those nominated, Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog” and “Dune” earned the most nods, receiving 12 and 10 nominations, respectively. Other big contenders with significant nominations include “West Side Story,” “Belfast” and “King Richard.” All five movies were also included in the coveted category for Best Picture.
Writer-director Kenneth Branagh broke an Oscar record by receiving seven nominations in seven categories for his roles in directing, producing and writing “Belfast.” He was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
See the full list of nominees here.
Who will be hosting the ceremony?
Earlier this month, Variety confirmed that the Oscars will have three hosts. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tapped Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall to host the 94th annual Academy Awards.
This marks the first time the Oscars will have a host since 2018. The awards show went without a host in 2019 after comedian Kevin Hart stepped down from the post following the reemergence of homophobic tweets he’d posted years prior. The Academy kept up the tradition in 2020 and for last year’s ceremony, which was hosted in a scaled-back format at Los Angeles’ Union Station due to the pandemic.
Who is presenting at the Oscars?
In early March, it was revealed that Lady Gaga, Kevin Costner, Zoë Kravitz, Chris Rock, Yuh-Jung Youn and Rosie Perez would be among those who would be presenting this year’s awards.
Last year, Youn won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Soon-ja in the critically-acclaimed “Minari.”
Is there a red carpet preshow?
There will be an Oscars preshow, called “Oscars: Into the Spotlight,” on ABC prior to the show. E! will also have a preshow.
How do I watch the 2022 Oscars?
The 2022 Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC and will be livestreamed on the network’s website. The awards show can also be streamed through providers like Hulu, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV, Fubo TV, Sling TV and Locast.
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