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The Oscars will have a new award category next year honouring popular films, in a major shake-up for the most prestigious awards show in the movie industry.
In a letter to members, the Academy of Motion Pictures also said it would present some of the 24 awards during commercial breaks in the televised ceremony, in order to help keep it to three hours. The winning moments would then be edited and aired later in the broadcast.
The 2020 show will also take place approximately two weeks earlier than years past, airing at the beginning of February instead of the end.
"We have heard from many of you about improvements needed to keep the Oscars and our Academy relevant in a changing world," Academy President John Bailey and CEO Dawn Hudson write in the letter.
"We are excited about these steps, and look forward to sharing more details with you."
The changes, which will take effect with the February 2019 ceremony, follow years of declining audiences for the Oscars ceremony. This year's show , which spanned nearly four hours of live broadcast, attracted a record-low audience of 26m – down 20 per cent from the year before.
Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy AwardsShow all 62 1 /62Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Producer J. Miles Dale (L), director Guillermo del Toro (at microphone) and cast/crew accept Best Picture for 'The Shape of Water' onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards uillermo del Toro and Sally Hawkins take the stage to accept the Oscar for Best Picture for "The Shape of Water" from presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway take the stage to present the Oscar for Best Picture
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actresses Sally Hawkins, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie and Meryl Streep embrace after Frances McDormand's Best Actress acceptance speech
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Frances McDormand wins the Best Actress Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actors Jodie Foster (L) and Jennifer Lawrence speak onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards British actor Gary Oldman delivers a speech after he won the Oscar for Best Actor in "Darkest Hour" during the 90th Annual Academy Awards show on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actor Emma Stone speaks onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards David Malinowski and Armie Hammer attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Composer Alexandre Desplat (R), winner of the Best Original Score award for 'The Shape of Water,' motions in the press room to a video feed of director Guillermo del Toro accepting the Best Director award
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Guillermo del Toro accepts the Oscar for Best Director for "The Shape of Water" from presenter Emma Stone (R)
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Alexandre Desplat, winner of Best Original Score for the film The Shape of Water, is congratulated by the film's stars Sally Hawkins (L) and Octavia Spencer (R)
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Presenter Emma Stone walks on stage
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Call Me By Your Name stars Armie Hammer (L) and Timothee Chalamet embrace during the Oscars show
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Greta Gerwig gets touched up during the ad break at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Jordan Peele accepts the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Get Out."
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Best Original Screenplay winner Jordan Peele (R) hugs Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya (L)
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actress Nicole Kidman arrives on stage to present the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Andra Day and Common sing Best Original Song nominee Stand Up for Something from Marshall
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards James Ivory wins the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Call Me by Your Name
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Ashley Judd (L), Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek (R) take the stage
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Tiffany Haddish (L) and Maya Rudolph take the stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Natalia Lafourcade and Gael Garcia Bernal attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Sebastian Lelio with his Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for A Fantastic Woman alongside Rita Moreno in the press room at the 90th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Coco wins the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar Isaac and Mark Hamill present the Best Animated Short Film Oscar
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Margot Robbie gets emotional watching co-star Allison Janey accept her award
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Allison Janey accepts the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for "I, Tonya."
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Matthew McConaughey talks with Marcus Henderson
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Rita Moreno, wearing the same dress she wore to the ceremony she was awarded Best Supporting Actress in a supporting role
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Sam Rockwell poses in the press room with the Oscar for Actor in Supporting Role
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Gael Garcia Bernal performs on stage
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Miguel and Natalia LaFourcade perform a song from Coco
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Presenters Lupita Nyong'o and Kumail Nanjiani
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Kobe Bryant poses with his award for Best Animated Short Film Award for "Dear Basketball"
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Helen Mirren shows of a jet ski on offer to the shortest Oscars speech
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Daniela Vega presents during the 90th Annual Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick hold their gongs for Best Makeup and Hair in the 'Darkest Hour'
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actor/singer Mary J. Blige performs onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actor Taraji P. Henson speaks onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actress Eva Marie Saint presents the Oscar for Costume Design
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Presenters Greta Gerwig and Laura Dern take the stage to give out the award for Best Documentary
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Sam Rockwell accepts the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Actor Lakeith Stanfield takes on his Get Out role once again onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Viola Davis waits to present the award for best supporting actor
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Daniel Kaluuya and Timothee Chalamet greet photographers on the 90th academy awards red carpet
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Mary J. Blige, the first person to be nominated in both the acting and best song categories, arrives at the 90th academy awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Jennifer Lawrence attempts to find her seat in the Dolby Theatre
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards The Shape of Waters' Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones embrace on the Oscars red carpet
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Tiffany Haddish attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards wearing a traditional dress from Eritrea
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Salma Hayek takes the red carpet at the 90th Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Diane Warren and Helen Mirren share a laugh at the 90th Annual Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards James Ivory arrives at the 90th academy awards in a custom made shirt featuring Call Me By Your Names' Timothee Chalamet
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Whoopi Goldberg attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Emma Stone arrives at the Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Andra Day arrives at the Academy Awards
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Solidarity sisters Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino and Jane Fonda celebrate Times Up on the red carpet
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman arrives on the 90th Annual Academy Awards red carpet
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell display their Times Up pins
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Oscars 2018: memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards Get Out's Allison Williams glides down the Oscars carpet
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The show has also failed to set – or even reflect – public taste in recent years. Winners like "The Shape of Water" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" getting little box-office attention. Other, more popular movies, such as "Wonder Woman" or "Deadpool," have been passed over for awards.
The popular film category appeared to be designed to fill that gap, though it received a mixed response online.
"Popular film should... be nominated in general?" tweeted culture critic Ira Madison III. "What’s been defined as Oscar worthy or Oscar bait has been defined by the pretensions of white people."
New York Times movie critic Manohla Dargis made her opinion clear, tweeting: "What a f***ing stupid, insulting and pathetically desperate change."
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Try for free Jennifer Garner tells Ellen what she was thinking in viral Oscars meme The Academy has also been forced to contend with popular movements affecting the film industry in recent years, and with social justice campaigns targeting the show itself.
The 2016 #OscarsSoWhite campaign, for instance, drew attention to the lack of Oscar winners and nominees of colour. The Academy responded by changing its member admission processes, promising to double the number of female and minority members by 2020.
This year, many presenters paid tribute to the #metoo movement, which raised awareness of sexual harassment and the treatment of women in the film industry. Still, some were unhappy with the number of accused abusers who were celebrated at the show.
The changes to the coming broadcasts were discussed by the Academy's board of governors, staff, members, and various working groups, and approved by the full board, according to the letter.
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