Viewership for the telecast of this year’s Oscars ceremony was down 7% from 2024, according to figures from Nielsen.
After three consecutive years of growth, viewership slipped to just over 18m in the US, across network ABC and the Oscars’ new online partner, Hulu – whose stream was dogged by problems.
The ratings – which have been in steep decline for almost a decade thanks to the advent of the internet – usually correlate pretty closely to the mainstream appeal of those films tipped to win the big awards.
In 1998, a record 57m tuned in to see Titanic take 11 prizes; by 2004, that had fallen to 44m, when Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King equalled that tally.
The Oscars recorded their worst-ever ratings in 2021, when Nomadland won big; last year the number had recovered to 19.5m, thanks to the Barbenheimer effect.
ABC is reporting more than a quarter of its viewers were under 50, and some 3.2m were 18-49 – a younger demographic the Academy is especially keen to court.
This year’s show opened with an extended medley of hits from Wicked, one of the two blockbusters up for best picture, sung by its Oscar-nominated stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
