Live Academy Awards Broadcast Unseen by One of Hollywood’s Biggest Markets: China1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteChinese director Zhang Yimou probably smiled at Christian Bale’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar win.
While the prize could brighten the Chinese director’s decision to cast the English actor in his next picture — a Nanjing Massacre drama the two were shooting together just days ago in China — Bale’s win for The Fighter, which went unreleased here, was virtually unnoticed across the nation.
So, too, were the Oscars as a whole, since watching the 83rd Academy Awards half a world away from Hollywood proved a challenge even for cinephiles dedicated enough to try to glimpse a bit of the Oscar glamour via pirated TV or illegal website.
Star Movies Hong Kong’s licensed live coverage, replete with commentators speaking from what appeared to be a fancy brunch, reached luxury hotels in China, but average Chinese tuning in from home 16 hours ahead of L.A. could see only the red carpet festivities and no more, on Web portals and video sharing sites.