• The Washington Post , Thursday, January 10, 2008 11:30 AM

ABC remains confident that its Academy Awards show will air as planned on Feb. 24, even with the ongoing writers strike. And the Alphabet Network sees no need to offer advertisers contingencies for lower-than-expected ratings. Execs at ABC are denying reports that they were already talking to buyers about what to do if the strike forces changes in the planned three-hour Oscar broadcast.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences "is fully committed to doing the show, and we have not been out there with contingency plans for advertisers," says an ABC spokeswoman. The Writers Guild of America has threatened to picket the ceremony, raising the specter of a boycott by Hollywood stars.

Earlier this week, the Golden Globe Awards canceled their telecast in the face of just such a boycott. Anticipating a ratings decline for a stripped-down version of that show, NBC is offering cash back to some marketers. But ABC says it does not face a loss of advertising revenues even if the Oscars get hurt by the strike. The net usually sells out the show months in advance -- at $1.5 million to $1.65 million per 30-second pop -- but does not book the revenue until shortly before airing, according to insiders. Further, it does not guarantee Oscar advertisers a minimum number of impressions per spot, so lower ratings don't mean make-goods.

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