Oscars U.K. Broadcast Fronted by Jonathan Ross Will Cater to ‘Superfans,’ Promises ITVX Boss

variety.com:

K.J. Yossman When U.K. public service broadcaster ITV unveiled last summer it had snagged the rights to the Oscars broadcast from Comcast-owned Sky, which had simulcast the show for almost 20 years, it caused quite a stir.

Not only will the ceremony be free-to-air for the first time in nearly two decades, but ITV soon unveiled a host of extras — including a 90-minute red carpet pre-show hosted by Ross King, a wrap-around show produced by ITV Studios Daytime and hosted by Jonathan Ross plus a range of streaming highlights, such as a strand of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated movies, best speeches from years past and behind-the-scenes clips direct from the the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Last month, the nominations were also broadcast live on the network’s streamer ITVX. “The Oscars is the ultimate in event telly and we’re thrilled to be unlocking an iconic night for U.K.

film fans across our free-to-air platforms,” ITV’s head of entertainment commissioning, Katie Rawcliffe, tells Variety. There will also be plenty of content for viewers the morning after as the festivities carry over into ITV’s daytime programming, including “Good Morning Britain” and “This Morning” — plus, of course, a chance to re-watch the ceremony itself. “If you can’t stay up into the early hours — and we very much hope people will — but if you can’t, then you can catch up on it the following day on ITVX,” says ITVX managing editor Craig Morris.