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And just like that, the Oscars are embroiled in controversy again. In late February, the Academy received swift backlash after announcing that several major categories wouldn’t be presented on-air at this year’s ceremony. Now, the plot thickens — according to Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg, this happened because ABC threatened to cancel the Oscars telecast if 12 categories weren’t cut from the show.

After last year’s Oscars telecast drew record-low ratings for the network, dropping 58% from the previous year, the Academy announced that eight key awards (such as Film Editing, Original Score, and Sound) would be nixed from the live telecast in favor of clip montages of nominated films.

Unsurprisingly, these changes were largely implemented to appease the network, whose executives reportedly said they were willing to cancel the Oscars telecast via a clause in ABC and the Academy’s deal for the show’s broadcasting rights.

“We were told we’d have to sacrifice something or we were going to lose the whole show,” one Academy governor told Feinberg.

Numerous key figures in the film industry have spoken out against these changes, including outgoing CEO Dawn Hudson, music branch chairman Laura Karpman, and directors branch governor Ava DuVernay.

Still, other Academy members pushed back against critics.

For instance, Roadside Attractions co-president Howard Cohen wrote: “As an attendee in person at 7 of the last 8 ceremonies and as someone who deeply respects the craftspeople moved to non-live slots, this ceremony MUST change if it wants to continue on a commercial network.”

“The few people upset by this change are worth it if the program can improve,” Cohen continued. “It’s gone down a narrow indie-driven path for the last 15 years. Why bother being on ABC if you ignore the audience?”

The 94th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.