Oscars 2014: Was Ellen DeGeneres’ selfie a product placement stunt?

As the Internet recovers from last night’s Oscars ceremony, and the excitement of THAT star-strewn selfie, it’s emerged the funny photo-op may have been part of an elaborate product placement stunt by show sponsors Samsung.

Host Ellen DeGeneres whipped out her Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phone at various points throughout the glitzy Hollywood bash, most blatantly when she asked Oscar legend Meryl Streep to pose for a soon-to-be-record-breaking selfie.

[Oscars 2014: The full list of winners]

Cue the now most retweeted picture of all time: Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Ellen Degeneres, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong’o (and her brother), Angelina Jolie… All thanks of course, to the Galaxy Note 3.

DeGeneres, hosting the ceremony for the second time, had openly used the phone through the night – earlier posting several star-crammed shots to Twitter, and one less-than-subtle on-stage selfie.

Regardless of the “fun” nature of the stunts, TV audiences soon took to Twitter to protest the apparently blatant product placement.

Sumsung, now in its fifth year of sponsoring the Academy Awards, had reportedly bought a full five minutes of airtime for the night – and is believed to have spent $24 million (£14.4 million) on advertising at the Oscars between 2009 and 2013.

But, in a bizarre twist (and adding more weight to the product placement theory), eagle-eyed fans later spotted avid Twitter user Ellen had continued posting pics from backstage... only this time using her own iPhone. Whoops. So much for that Samsung, eh Ellen?

Does it matter if Samsung sponsored the Oscars fun? Or does it taint that super selfie? Let us know in the comments below. You can also watch our round-up of this year's selfie-crazed ceremony, here...