New Delhi, 07th March, 2024: The busy awards show season is nearing the end — and data shows that viewership for these events is returning to pre-pandemic levels. For example, the Grammys — which were held on February 4 — garnered 34% more viewers than last year’s ceremony. Taboola’s historical readership data supports this: over the past year, online interest in the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammy’s is up by an average of 53%.

Online interest in the Oscars has surged by 25% in India. Contributing to this buzz is the film ’12th Fail’, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring Vikrant Massey, which has garnered significant attention. The film’s independent nomination for the Oscars has sparked curiosity, evidenced by its impressive 1.3 million pageviews. Notably, Vikrant Massey’s popularity is evident, with a remarkable 441,000 pageviews. The film’s highest readership peaked on January 10, January 11, and January 18, reflecting the sustained intrigue surrounding its journey towards the prestigious awards ceremony.

Leading up to the 2024 Oscars ceremony, Taboola reviewed readership data to predict who will take home the gold this year in categories such as “Best Picture,” “Best Actress,” “Best Actor,” “Best Supporting Actress,” and “Best Supporting Actor.”

Best Picture: Barbie

Contrary to previous awards wins from other ceremonies earlier this season — and snubs for lead Barbie actress Margot Robbie, and Barbie director Greta Gerwig — Taboola’s readership data reveals strong interest in Barbie and predicts the film should win Best Picture. This aligns with predictions from IMDB, suggesting that Barbie has potential to pull off a “jaw-dropping” upset for Best Picture.

Best Actress: Emma Stone

One of the closest races this Oscars season will be the “Battles of the Stones” for Best Actress between Emma Stone for Poor Things and Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon. The BAFTA and SAG awards are telling of what’s to come — Stone took home the BAFTA, and Gladstone received the SAG award. Collider has Stone winning “by a hair,” and Taboola’s data suggests that she will take the Oscar as well.

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper

Taboola’s data forecasts Bradley Cooper to win the Oscar for Best Actor. According to ScreenRant, Cooper’s nomination for Maestro is the fourth Best Actor nomination he’s had, and could become his first-ever win. Although, critics suggest that if Cooper wins, it would be viewed as a considerable upset. 

Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster

Despite some predictions eyeing Jodie Foster as the least likely to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Taboola’s readership data suggests otherwise. Compared to the other nominees, readership data indicates that Foster will take home the gold. This year marks her first Oscars nomination in 29 years and if she won, it would be her third win. Interestingly, the rest of the nominees are Oscar first-timers. 

Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro

While Taboola’s readership data results show a close race for Best Supporting Actor, online interest is pointing towards Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon as the winner for Best Supporting Actor, which aligns with media opinions stating that he deserves it. However, many critics predict that Robert Downey Jr. will walk away with the award for Oppenheimer. With the top three nominee pageviews in the millions, the winner will be a close call.

Tips for Publishers and Advertisers

Although the Oscars will wrap up shortly, viewers will be discussing a range of related topics post-event — everything from the red-carpet fashion, to the Oscar winners, and the upsets. Publishers should keep Oscars-related topics on their radar throughout the coming weeks to engage readers.

Advertisers should also consider capitalizing on post-event awards trends and extending their relevant campaigns to maximize results.