The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has decided to lift their long-running ban of movie trailers during the Academy Award telecast. But there is a catch: Each movie studio will be allowed to run just one spot (30 or 60 seconds), and that spot must be an Oscar exclusive. Sounds like a good plan to boost ratings.
I think everyone will agree that the Oscars has become increasingly artsy/indie over the last two decades (hey, remember when Raiders of the Lost Ark won 4 Academy Awards?), which probably put off a lot of mainstream filmgoers. The ratings have been in decline. I’m not a sports fan, yet I watch the Superbowl each and every year just to see the new movie

The decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences comes as TV advertising budgets tighten and viewership falls.
By Meg James and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
for films," said George Belch, a marketing professor at San Diego State University. "The telecast delivers an audience that is very interested in movies, and that's the target audience that the studios want to reach."

The Oscar board voted on Tuesday to overthrow its 55-year-old rule barring movie ads during the Academy Awards. (Frankly, we never noticed they were missing