This year's Oscars ceremony will see eight awards categories cut from the live broadcast, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The presentation and acceptance of the following awards will take place an hour before the televised ceremony: Best Documentary Short, Best Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Best Achievement in Sound.
They'll still be recorded, but will be edited into the live broadcast. This controversial approach was adopted once before, and then promptly abandoned, in 2018 after industry backlash.
In a letter to its members published by The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy said the change was "to provide more time and opportunity for audience entertainment and engagement through comedy, musical numbers, film clip packages and movie tributes."
The letter adds: "Most of the general public cares about only the six highest-profile Oscar categories — best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress — if that."
Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes will host the ceremony, after last year's broadcast was the lowest-rated Oscars telecast ever. As for this year, the frontrunner is The Power of the Dog, as Jane Campion's Western has nominations in 12 categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. Dune and Belfast aren't far behind, with 10 and seven nominations respectively.
The 94th Academy Awards will air on March 28 on ABC in the US and on Sky Cinema in the UK. For more on the Oscars, check out the full list of nominees and our Oscars 2022 predictions.
