Oscars producers Craig Zadan, Neil Meron won’t be back for 2016 show

Three-time Academy Awards telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will not be returning to the show next year, a spokeswoman for the producers confirmed to The Times.

Zadan and Meron presided over some highs and lows in their Oscar producing tenure: Last year’s show, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, was the highest-rated in more than a decade, and drew in audiences with moments like an A-lister audience selfie. This year’s show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, stumbled badly in the ratings, affected in part by a little-seen group of nominated films.

Zadan and Meron, whom the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hired on a three-year contract in a bid to bring more continuity to their telecast, will return to their day jobs — producing film and television, including an upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Pippin.”

“Craig and Neil have been wonderful creative partners over the last three years, contributing some of the most innovative and memorable Oscar moments,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs in a statement. “They are true showmen with enormous talent and expertise. We’re looking forward to seeing the exciting projects they have in the works.”

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