Case Study

How the 2019 Oscars played out on Twitter

The Oscars is one of the most anticipated cinematic celebrations of the year. Each February stars and storytellers line up to walk the red carpet and take their seats in Hollywood’s most famous theater, and millions of viewers tune in and take to Twitter to share their reactions.

The outfits, the memes, the speeches, the GIFs — the Oscars has always captivated conversation on the platform, and this year was no different, with winners including “Black Panther,” “Roma,” and “Green Book.” Here’s how the 91st annual Academy Awards played out on Twitter, from January’s nomination announcements right through to Sunday’s after-parties.

Breaking the nominations announcements

Every Oscars season begins with the coveted nominations announcements, and this year The Academy took to Twitter to break the #OscarNoms news. Presenters Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross presented the broadcast that was simultaneously streamed via the Academy’s website and social media channels, and Twitter recapped all the announcements news into an event, so anyone unable to follow along live could watch the playback.

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Fan Q&As

How does it feel to be nominated for your first Oscar? What tips can young filmmakers take from their director idols? Q&As with award nominees — including Spike Lee and Marina de Tavira — provided a great way for fans to connect with some of this year’s nominees and have their questions answered in real time, prior to the event.

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Video hype

In the week leading up to Sunday’s ceremony the Oscars hype continued, with two videos released via @TwitterMovies featuring quick-fire questions filmed at the Academy’s annual nominee luncheon. Nominees took part to share how #blessed they felt to be nominated.

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Live from the red carpet with #OscarsAllAccess

Twitter partnered with ABC this year to bring their red carpet pre-show to the platform for the very first time. Viewers were invited to submit questions for nominees, presenters, and performers before and during “Oscars All Access: Red Carpet Live” using the #OscarsAllAccess hashtag. The hashtag was used over 11.3K times on the day of the show, with the live stream viewed over 5.5 million times during 24 hours.

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Hosting a viewing party

Pass the (gourmet) chips and dip. For many viewers, hosting or attending an Oscars viewing party is another great way to take part in the awards show fun, something Elton John is well aware of. The musician has hosted Academy Awards viewing parties since the early ’90s to raise money for AIDS charities, and this year IMDb teamed up with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to bring the party live to Twitter.

Capturing the after-party action

Just because each Oscars statuette has been handed out, that doesn’t mean the night is over. After some quick but no less glamorous outfit changes, Sunday’s celebrations continued at the annual Vanity Fair Oscars Party, and so did the coverage — with an on-platform live stream of the red carpet. Walking Vanity Fair’s hallowed after-party red carpet requires an exclusive invite, but Twitter viewers could enjoy interviews with party guests such as Tina Fey and Kerry Washington from the comfort of their own homes.

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