OSCARS FLOP – AT 10:50 A.M. ET:  Like the NFL, like the Olympics, last night's Oscars saw a dramatic decline in viewership.  The people are sending a message.  From Fox: 

Jimmy Kimmel claimed he was keeping this year's Oscars positive, but the ratings were anything but.

The politically charged 2018 Academy Awards were down 15.6 percent compared to the 2017 viewership with an 18.9 rating in Nielsen’s overnight numbers from 8-11 p.m. ET, according to TheWrap.

The sharp decline marks what could become the lowest-rated Oscars of all time on a night when host Jimmy Kimmel and the crowd of Hollywood elite focused on diversity, feminism and political issues as much as it focused on the films being honored.

The lack of high-wattage stars in the major categories, as well as a ho-hum slate of films when it came to box office receipts, may have also been a factor.

Media Research Center Vice President Dan Gainor told Fox News viewers shouldn’t be surprised that the show turned political and featured “divisive, left-wing politics” throughout the four-hour event.

“The Tinseltown elite genuinely hate the people they expect will pay to see their movies and watch their TV shows,” Gainor said. “Why do we support them?”

The final numbers are subject to adjustment and the show ran 50 minutes after the primetime cutoff, with the most prestigious awards coming after 11 p.m. The 2017 Oscars picked up a 22.4 rating and 32.9 million total viewers. The decline in overnight numbers puts a spotlight on the total viewership data that will be announced eventually on Monday.

Sunday night’s awards were politically charged and loaded with mentions of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Kimmel took jabs at President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and even Fox News viewers.

COMMENT:  I sense that we are seeing a cultural change in America.  When the NFL turned political, viewers turned off.  When the Oscars became more political, viewers turned off.  The Olympics are more complicated, but uninspired coverage and a suspicion that politics would be injected, played their roles.

If you're going to run an audience event, you'd better know your audience and show some respect.   The audience is a lot smarter than you think.

March 5,  2018