This year’s Academy Awards broadcast on ABC saw its TV ratings surge to a post-pandemic high of 21 million viewers, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was a major beneficiary, new financial statements indicate.
According to financial statements filed by AMPAS with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, Revenue from the Academy Awards and “related activities” rose to $146.6 million in its fiscal 2024, which ended June 30. That is up slightly from $143.5 million in fiscal 2023, with the Academy taking in $137.1 million in fiscal 2022.
AMPAS classifies Academy Awards revenue as the revenue it receives in its TV licensing deals, as well as sponsorships, screenings, and revenue associated with the awards program itself and the Governor’s Ball.
The Academy’s TV deal with Disney’s ABC and Buena Vista International (which handles international sales) is built around fixed license fees as well as sales or usage-based royalties (which would benefit from improved ratings and advertising sales), a possible source of the rise in revenue.
The TV deals with both ABC and Buena Vista run through 2028.
The Academy also reported a strong investment return, with the value of its investments rising to $66.7 million in 2024, up from $36.9 million in 2023.
Still, the numbers suggest that revenue associated with the Oscars may be slowing down (even if it is rising), with real uncertainty about what the license fee will be when it either negotiates a new deal with Disney or seeks to take the awards program elsewhere. The Oscars do not currently stream online, and Disney would surely like to be able to do so (as would the Academy, surely, seeking younger viewers). Whether that correlates to a higher fee is far less clear, given the deterioration in viewership in recent years.
And the Academy Museum also appears to be leveling off after its launch, after quickly becoming a hot place for the industry to host screenings and events.
Academy Museum “earned revenues” were $15.3 million in 2024, down from $18 million a year earlier. Earned revenues include ticket sales, sponsorships and events revenue. Membership revenues rose slightly from $4.9 million to $5.5 million.
Those results may have been why the Film Academy laid off about two percent of its workforce in October. The filings indicated that a handful of VP roles had been “eliminated” since last year. The Academy Museum also replaced its chief.
The Museum has been dealing with complaints about some of its exhibits, though its star-studded annual fundraiser is still able to draw A-list talent.
On the expense front, Academy Awards expenses rose from $56.6 million to $57.7 million, while the Academy Museum was able to stabilize its costs at $50.9 million, flat from 2023, and coming after years of rising costs.
Total revenue for the Film Academy was $263 million in 2024, up from $225.6 million in 2023, driven by its investments.
English (US) ·