Do Oscars and Grammys indicate awards shows losing appeal?

largely ignoring the rest of the world... the world will start ignoring them.

Looks like Superbowl viewership has been declining over the past three years as well. https://www.statista.com/statistics/216526/super-bowl-us-tv-viewership/

At least the Superbowl has the draw of stellar commercials, for people not interested in grid iron football. The draw for the Oscars used to be the red carpet and the dresses and jewelry as far as I can tell, and that never really caught my fancy. Perhaps they need to enforce tighter scheduling for better commercial breaks and try to attract better advertising. Long acceptance speeches interrupted by switch to commercial rather than music.

A big test can come next year for the Oscars, with the movie "Black Panther" both an enormous success and a critical favorite. That could bring viewers back: the biggest Academy Award ratings ever were recorded the year "Titanic" won best picture.

Exactly, nominate some blockbusters and you may get viewership. How were the ratings the year Avatar was nominated?

With Hollywood spewing out more and more mind-numbing sequels, reboots, unoriginal and unimaginative movies, it's easy to see why people are getting turned off to these shows. I don't think many of the movies nominated these days move our souls and leave us in a world of wonder and amazement like the movies of the past did.

Also the increasing political, sarcastic and preachy tone of the awards ceremony is turning a lot of people off.

Although I can empathize with some of the MeToo agenda, I don't need it shoved down my throat at a ceremony designed to honor great movie making/acting.

We all knew beforehand what political viewpoints those who took the stage were going to force us to listen to and swallow. People can, and did, easily avoid it all with the click of the remote and they'll increasingly do so unless there's change.

Films now are often likely to be unoriginal; either sequels or prequels or, worst of all, remakes, or superhero/generic action crap or identikit romcoms. Dreary, dull and boring. Not worth paying the price of a ticket to see at the cinema, let alone bothering to watch a puffed up, over long TV programme to see which win awards.

Liberals. Normal people are sick of them.

The "Shape of Water" is a completely rip of the 1980's movie "Splash!"

Moviemakers have officially run out of original ideas.

The "Shape of Water" is a completely rip of the 1980's movie "Splash!"

Which was a poor remake of the 1948 film, Miranda.

No no. Really. Not many want to watch the elite of the left try to convimce everyone how awesome they are.

Make the whole show about Trump and preaching liberal values not just half the show like now. Guaranteed to work!

Short of full-frontal nudity, I don't know what they could do," he quipped

I mean seriously did Trump have a movie or drop a record that I missed? Why he is the only thing those people can talk about?

That and it would help if more than 20% of people actually saw these pretentious movies that always get nominated. Why would black panther get nominated next year when no other similar movies that are better have been?

As mentioned before

The figures do not include digital and mobile viewing.

A lot of people are cord-cutting nowadays

People are watching "TV" - just not on TV anymore

People watch the clips that interest them, the highlights, etc. on Youtube, Facebook, channel websites, DVRs where they can skip commercials, etc.

Just not on TV anymore where they have to sit and wait - they still watch TV, but they watch the parts they want at the time and place of their choosing

The 90th Oscars, still expected to be 2018's most-watched nonsporting U.S. television event