With no big box-office hits nominated for Best Picture this year, only 23.7% of the people who watched the 80th Academy Awards telecast had actually seen one of the five films nominated, according to a cross-platform study by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI).
Some 15.3% of IMMI panelists who watched the Oscars had seen “Juno” – the most among the nominees – and at the low end, just? 3.8% had seen “There Will Be Blood”:
The data, which was collected by monitoring actual individual behavior in six major metropolitan areas, suggests that most Oscar viewers did not come to the telecast informed about the five Best Picture films.
“The 76% who watched the telecast but haven’t yet seen any of the films represents a tremendous potential theatrical, DVD and pay-per-view audience for the five nominated pictures,” said Amanda Welsh, head of research for Integrated Media Measurement Inc.
Conversely, some 56% of people who had seen “No Country For Old Men” tuned in to the award show, and just 35% who had seen “Michael Clayton” watched the telecast:
“On the flip side, the fact that so many of those who saw one or more of the Best Picture nominees did watch the telecast reinforces the appeal of these films and their impact on moviegoers,” Welsh added.
About the data: The research was implemented through a research panel built by IMMI that mirrors US Census results for fundamental demographics in key markets. IMMI provides panel members in key markets with a mobile phone, asking them to carry it with them wherever they go. The mobile phone is equipped with a technology that creates digital signatures of all the audio media (television, radio and movies) to which it has been exposed. IMMI can accordingly determine viewing audiences, as well as certain types of consumer behavior based on a timeline of when the media was viewed or heard.
