Oscars producers leaving award show after three years

LOS ANGELES, March 27 (UPI) -- Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron won't be returning to produce the Academy Awards in 2016.

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the producers departure from the show in a statement crediting the men for "contributing some of the most innovative and memorable Oscar moments."

Zadan and Meron have produced the last thee Academy Awards shows featuring Seth McFarlane, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris as hosts. The duo had signed a three-year contract, which the Academy had an option to renew each year.

The pair's run as Oscars producers was mostly successful as their first two shows saw rating increases. The ceremony hosted by DeGeneres -- where she took the famous Oscar selfie -- marked a 10-year high in viewership for the show. The 2015 Academy Awards, however, saw a 16 percent decrease in ratings.

Zadan hinted at his departure from the show earlier this month, writing on Twitter he hopes newcomers keep his and Meron's innovations, which include the Team Oscar program -- in which young filmmakers have the opportunity to help hand out the gold statuettes during the ceremony -- and the tradition of reading all 24 nominees on nomination announcement morning.

Zadan and Meron -- the producers behind live action tv features like Peter Pan Live -- are expected to produce more live musicals going forward.