Month: April 2024

Originally published on Nielsen News Center

In 2015, none of the 20 acting nominations at the Academy Awards went to diverse talent for the first time since 1998. One year later, the same thing happened, marking the first time since the six successive years between 1975 and 1981 that no person of color received a nomination in one of the Academy’s acting categories for two consecutive years. Since those two blank years, the number of diverse nominees has nearly tripled in the acting categories compared to the eight years before 2017 according to new research on diversity at the Oscars by Nielsen’s Gracenote.

The Inclusion Analytics and Studio System teams at Gracenote compared the Oscar nominations in the eight years from 2017 to 2024 with those from 2009 to 2016. In addition, the team looked at the full history of Academy Award wins and nominations for diverse talent.

There have been nearly three times as many acting nominations for diverse actors in the last eight years of the Oscars than there were for the eight years before 2017. 
 From 2017 to 2024, 44 acting nominations have been diverse with 11 of those nominees going on to win. One or two more Oscar wins for diverse actors can be expected at this year’s show. 
 In the eight years before 2017, 14 diverse actors received 15 Oscar nominations in the acting categories. Viola Davis was nominated twice. Only Octavia Spencer (The Help) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) were diverse winners during this period. 
 There were less than half the number of diverse Oscar nominees from 2009 to 2016 than in the previous eight years, from 2001 to 2008, when 26 different diverse actors received 32 nominations and won eight Oscars. 
 This year, three of the five best supporting actress nominees are diverse women – America Ferrera (Barbie), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers). 
 This is the seventh time in Oscars history that three nominees in an acting category have been diverse after 2004 (best supporting actor), 2007 (best supporting actress), 2017 (best supporting actress), 2021 (best actor AND best supporting actor) and 2023 (best supporting actress). 
 With Da’Vine Joy Randolph looking likely to win best supporting actress at this year’s Academy awards after her successes at other awards shows, 2024 should be the fourth successive year with a diverse winner of an acting Oscar. This will extend an unprecedented streak of success for diverse actors at the Oscars. 
 Success for Randolph would also mean acting wins for diverse talent at six of the last eight years of the Oscars. This would also be unprecedented. 
 This year seven diverse actors have been nominated for Oscars. This is the fifth year with at least seven diverse nominees in the acting categories, with only one of those years (2007) occurring before the last eight years.
 This year marks the third year in the last four with at least seven diverse acting nominees. The record is nine in 2021.

The increase in diverse acting nominees appears to have increased the interest in the Oscars show amongst diverse audiences.

Nielsen audience measurement data shows that more than 30% of viewers of the Oscars have been non-white for four of the last five shows. From 2013 to 2015, 25.5% to 26% of viewers were diverse. 
 Last year, when Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress and Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor, over 8% of the audience were Asian, the highest percentage in the last 11 years. 
 One year earlier, when Will Smith and Denzel Washington were both nominated for best actor (and Smith won), 14.2% of the audience was Black compared to 8.5% to 9% from 2013 to 2016.
 In 2019, 12.7% of the audience was Hispanic, the highest proportion of viewers from this group between 2013 and 2023. That year, Mexican/U.S. co-production Roma was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, best actress and best supporting actress, sharing the accolade of most nominated film with The Favourite.
 The total audience increased by 11% between 2018 and 2019 but the Hispanic audience grew by 29%. 
 The 2020 awards show saw the lowest audience share of diverse audiences (including Hispanic/LatinX, Black, Asian or other ethnic/racial groups) of 28.3% since 2015. That year, only one diverse actor was nominated. 
 The highest interest was for the 2022 awards show when 33.6% of the audience was diverse according to Nielsen data. 
 Although the proportion of the audience represented by Black, Hispanic/LatinX, Asian and Pacific Islander viewers declined last year, the number of people from these groups watching has grown in the last two years, from 3.03 million to 5.6 million, an increase of 85%. 
 The number of Hispanic viewers has grown more than any other market segment since 2021, increasing by 95%.

About Gracenote

Gracenote is the content solutions business unit of Nielsen providing entertainment metadata, content IDs and related offerings to the world’s leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote technology enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities ensuring consumers can easily connect to the music, TV shows, movies and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler.

About Nielsen

Nielsen shapes the world’s media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).

Media Contact

Patricia Ratulangi 
patricia.ratulangi@nielsen.com

Originally published on Nielsen News Center

In 2015, none of the 20 acting nominations at the Academy Awards went to diverse talent for the first time since 1998. One year later, the same thing happened, marking the first time since the six successive years between 1975 and 1981 that no person of color received a nomination in one of the Academy’s acting categories for two consecutive years. Since those two blank years, the number of diverse nominees has nearly tripled in the acting categories compared to the eight years before 2017 according to new research on diversity at the Oscars by Nielsen’s Gracenote.

The Inclusion Analytics and Studio System teams at Gracenote compared the Oscar nominations in the eight years from 2017 to 2024 with those from 2009 to 2016. In addition, the team looked at the full history of Academy Award wins and nominations for diverse talent.

There have been nearly three times as many acting nominations for diverse actors in the last eight years of the Oscars than there were for the eight years before 2017. 
 From 2017 to 2024, 44 acting nominations have been diverse with 11 of those nominees going on to win. One or two more Oscar wins for diverse actors can be expected at this year’s show. 
 In the eight years before 2017, 14 diverse actors received 15 Oscar nominations in the acting categories. Viola Davis was nominated twice. Only Octavia Spencer (The Help) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave) were diverse winners during this period. 
 There were less than half the number of diverse Oscar nominees from 2009 to 2016 than in the previous eight years, from 2001 to 2008, when 26 different diverse actors received 32 nominations and won eight Oscars. 
 This year, three of the five best supporting actress nominees are diverse women – America Ferrera (Barbie), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers). 
 This is the seventh time in Oscars history that three nominees in an acting category have been diverse after 2004 (best supporting actor), 2007 (best supporting actress), 2017 (best supporting actress), 2021 (best actor AND best supporting actor) and 2023 (best supporting actress). 
 With Da’Vine Joy Randolph looking likely to win best supporting actress at this year’s Academy awards after her successes at other awards shows, 2024 should be the fourth successive year with a diverse winner of an acting Oscar. This will extend an unprecedented streak of success for diverse actors at the Oscars. 
 Success for Randolph would also mean acting wins for diverse talent at six of the last eight years of the Oscars. This would also be unprecedented. 
 This year seven diverse actors have been nominated for Oscars. This is the fifth year with at least seven diverse nominees in the acting categories, with only one of those years (2007) occurring before the last eight years.
 This year marks the third year in the last four with at least seven diverse acting nominees. The record is nine in 2021.

The increase in diverse acting nominees appears to have increased the interest in the Oscars show amongst diverse audiences.

Nielsen audience measurement data shows that more than 30% of viewers of the Oscars have been non-white for four of the last five shows. From 2013 to 2015, 25.5% to 26% of viewers were diverse. 
 Last year, when Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress and Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor, over 8% of the audience were Asian, the highest percentage in the last 11 years. 
 One year earlier, when Will Smith and Denzel Washington were both nominated for best actor (and Smith won), 14.2% of the audience was Black compared to 8.5% to 9% from 2013 to 2016.
 In 2019, 12.7% of the audience was Hispanic, the highest proportion of viewers from this group between 2013 and 2023. That year, Mexican/U.S. co-production Roma was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, best actress and best supporting actress, sharing the accolade of most nominated film with The Favourite.
 The total audience increased by 11% between 2018 and 2019 but the Hispanic audience grew by 29%. 
 The 2020 awards show saw the lowest audience share of diverse audiences (including Hispanic/LatinX, Black, Asian or other ethnic/racial groups) of 28.3% since 2015. That year, only one diverse actor was nominated. 
 The highest interest was for the 2022 awards show when 33.6% of the audience was diverse according to Nielsen data. 
 Although the proportion of the audience represented by Black, Hispanic/LatinX, Asian and Pacific Islander viewers declined last year, the number of people from these groups watching has grown in the last two years, from 3.03 million to 5.6 million, an increase of 85%. 
 The number of Hispanic viewers has grown more than any other market segment since 2021, increasing by 95%.

About Gracenote

Gracenote is the content solutions business unit of Nielsen providing entertainment metadata, content IDs and related offerings to the world’s leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote technology enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities ensuring consumers can easily connect to the music, TV shows, movies and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler.

About Nielsen

Nielsen shapes the world’s media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).

Media Contact

Patricia Ratulangi 
patricia.ratulangi@nielsen.com

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 25, 2024 /3BL/ – Qualcomm Incorporated announced the shortlisted startups for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024, as well as the winner of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. The Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform, now in its second year, aims to work with and support the development of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem by providing mentorship, education, and training programs with a focus on 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT. This year, Qualcomm received an overwhelming response, with approximately 250 applications from 30 countries. 

Highlights: 

Startup cohort announced for 2024 Qualcomm Make In Africa startup incubation program featuring technologiesAnnouncement of the awardee of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund, supporting startups in scaling their societal and market impact. Development of L2Pro Africa website content nears completion, providing free online training on intellectual property protection. 

 As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, Qualcomm Make In Africa is an equity-free mentorship program that identifies promising early-stage startups keen on applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware. These startups have demonstrated exceptional potential in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions. The selected startups will receive free mentorship, business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property. The 2024 cohort includes the following startups (listed in alphabetical order): 

Aurora Health from Kenya provides AI-based cardiovascular health care toolsCropScan from Kenya uses solar-powered smart farming IoT devicesCure Bionics from Tunisia makes smart 3D printed prosthetic arms DevisionX from Egypt provides AI-based low-code computer vision tools Kalio from Cameroon is building AI tools for Agricultural IoT Kitovu from Nigeria provides tools and software for smart agricultural warehouse management NextAI Studios from Kenya builds AI-based emotion detection into toys for children’s mental healthcare RIM Nextgen from Kenya, uses smart tools for monitoring propane consumption Sparcx from South Africa uses AI for enhancing radar signal processing Vizmerald from Tunisia, is working on AI-based textile industry inspection 

 Qualcomm is also proud to announce the awardee of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. This fund, provided by Qualcomm through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ Initiative, aims to support startups in scaling their societal and market impact. Ecorich Solutions Limited, a female-founded organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, will be awarded funding to help scale the impact of their smart organic food composter. Wireless Reach funding will support Ecorich to address the dual challenge of organic waste management and the need for sustainable agricultural practices, with the goal of reducing environmental pollution, improving crop yields for farmers, and mitigating waste-related health risks for communities. The other nine startups from the 2023 cohort will also receive valuable stipends to continue fueling their growth. These startups have showcased innovative uses of wireless technology to address pressing needs in their communities. 

  In addition, Qualcomm is excited to highlight the progress of the L2Pro Africa IP e-learning Platform, a free online training program designed to empower startups, SMEs, and researchers in Africa to protect, secure, and maximize their innovations. This program has been created in collaboration with Adams and Adams, Africa’s leading intellectual property (IP) law firm. The education content has been updated with individual filing procedures for patents, industrial designs, and trademarks in the countries of Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda and within the two African patent organizations, ARIPO and OAPI. These step-by-step descriptions of per-country filing requirements empower inventors to interact effectively with IP professionals such as an IP attorney and their respective IP offices. 

 ”I am thrilled with the overwhelming response to the Africa Innovation Platform this year,” said Alex Rogers, President, QTL & Global Affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated. “The quality and diversity of the applications received reflect the immense talent and potential within Africa’s technology ecosystem. We are excited to work with the shortlisted startups and provide them with the necessary resources and support to drive innovation and create a positive impact in their communities.” 

   “We applaud Qualcomm for launching the second year of its Innovate in Africa Platform, which not only equips the upcoming generation of African entrepreneurs with expertise in pivotal areas like AI/ML, healthcare, agri-tech, smart cities, and communications but also empowers them to safeguard their intellectual property through the complimentary L2ProAfrica program.”, said John Omo, secretary general, African Telecommunications Union (ATU). 

Mr. Omo also emphasized that the ATU remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. “Our youth innovation program, among other initiatives, plays a crucial role in cultivating the talents and aspirations of Africa’s young visionaries,” he affirmed. “We are ready to collaborate with additional partners to realize this objective.” 

For more information about Qualcomm Make in Africa, please visit https://www.qualcomm.com/company/locations/africa/qualcomm-make-in-africa.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Qualcomm and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. 

Qualcomm and Snapdragon products mentioned within this press release are offered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. 
Qualcomm and Snapdragon are registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 25, 2024 /3BL/ – Qualcomm Incorporated announced the shortlisted startups for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024, as well as the winner of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. The Qualcomm Africa Innovation Platform, now in its second year, aims to work with and support the development of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem by providing mentorship, education, and training programs with a focus on 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT. This year, Qualcomm received an overwhelming response, with approximately 250 applications from 30 countries. 

Highlights: 

Startup cohort announced for 2024 Qualcomm Make In Africa startup incubation program featuring technologiesAnnouncement of the awardee of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund, supporting startups in scaling their societal and market impact. Development of L2Pro Africa website content nears completion, providing free online training on intellectual property protection. 

 As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, Qualcomm Make In Africa is an equity-free mentorship program that identifies promising early-stage startups keen on applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware. These startups have demonstrated exceptional potential in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions. The selected startups will receive free mentorship, business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property. The 2024 cohort includes the following startups (listed in alphabetical order): 

Aurora Health from Kenya provides AI-based cardiovascular health care toolsCropScan from Kenya uses solar-powered smart farming IoT devicesCure Bionics from Tunisia makes smart 3D printed prosthetic arms DevisionX from Egypt provides AI-based low-code computer vision tools Kalio from Cameroon is building AI tools for Agricultural IoT Kitovu from Nigeria provides tools and software for smart agricultural warehouse management NextAI Studios from Kenya builds AI-based emotion detection into toys for children’s mental healthcare RIM Nextgen from Kenya, uses smart tools for monitoring propane consumption Sparcx from South Africa uses AI for enhancing radar signal processing Vizmerald from Tunisia, is working on AI-based textile industry inspection 

 Qualcomm is also proud to announce the awardee of the 2023 Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund. This fund, provided by Qualcomm through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ Initiative, aims to support startups in scaling their societal and market impact. Ecorich Solutions Limited, a female-founded organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, will be awarded funding to help scale the impact of their smart organic food composter. Wireless Reach funding will support Ecorich to address the dual challenge of organic waste management and the need for sustainable agricultural practices, with the goal of reducing environmental pollution, improving crop yields for farmers, and mitigating waste-related health risks for communities. The other nine startups from the 2023 cohort will also receive valuable stipends to continue fueling their growth. These startups have showcased innovative uses of wireless technology to address pressing needs in their communities. 

  In addition, Qualcomm is excited to highlight the progress of the L2Pro Africa IP e-learning Platform, a free online training program designed to empower startups, SMEs, and researchers in Africa to protect, secure, and maximize their innovations. This program has been created in collaboration with Adams and Adams, Africa’s leading intellectual property (IP) law firm. The education content has been updated with individual filing procedures for patents, industrial designs, and trademarks in the countries of Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda and within the two African patent organizations, ARIPO and OAPI. These step-by-step descriptions of per-country filing requirements empower inventors to interact effectively with IP professionals such as an IP attorney and their respective IP offices. 

 ”I am thrilled with the overwhelming response to the Africa Innovation Platform this year,” said Alex Rogers, President, QTL & Global Affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated. “The quality and diversity of the applications received reflect the immense talent and potential within Africa’s technology ecosystem. We are excited to work with the shortlisted startups and provide them with the necessary resources and support to drive innovation and create a positive impact in their communities.” 

   “We applaud Qualcomm for launching the second year of its Innovate in Africa Platform, which not only equips the upcoming generation of African entrepreneurs with expertise in pivotal areas like AI/ML, healthcare, agri-tech, smart cities, and communications but also empowers them to safeguard their intellectual property through the complimentary L2ProAfrica program.”, said John Omo, secretary general, African Telecommunications Union (ATU). 

Mr. Omo also emphasized that the ATU remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. “Our youth innovation program, among other initiatives, plays a crucial role in cultivating the talents and aspirations of Africa’s young visionaries,” he affirmed. “We are ready to collaborate with additional partners to realize this objective.” 

For more information about Qualcomm Make in Africa, please visit https://www.qualcomm.com/company/locations/africa/qualcomm-make-in-africa.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Qualcomm and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. 

Qualcomm and Snapdragon products mentioned within this press release are offered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. 
Qualcomm and Snapdragon are registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.