US EditionOscars TV audience shrinks 9% in US from last year
The 98th Oscars drew 17.9 million viewers, a 9% drop from 2025, but social media engagement rose 42%, maintaining its top primetime entertainment telecast status.
- On Monday, March 16, ABC said the 98th Academy Awards drew 17.9 million U.S. viewers across ABC and Hulu, down 9% from last year’s 19.69 million viewers.
- Facing live‑sports competition, a World Baseball Classic semifinal drew 7,370,000 viewers overlapping the Oscars, while shifts to streaming erode TV audiences in recent years.
- Digital metrics showed stronger engagement as primetime social impressions rose over 42% this year with over 129 million video views on Academy platforms, though the Adults 18‑49 rating fell to 3.92 .
- ABC sold out commercial inventory and is already negotiating 2027 ad spots, while the Academy will move the Oscars broadcast to YouTube in 2029, changing success metrics.
- At the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 15, Conan O’Brien hosted for a second consecutive year, ending recent gains after the 2025 high and contrasting with the 1998 peak audience of 57.2 million.
108 Articles
108 Articles
In the United States, according to Nielsen's audit data, the 2026 edition of the Oscar Prizes drew some 17.86 million viewers, with a fall of nearly 9% from the 19.7 million in 2025 and 19.5 million in 2024. The comparison with the past is even more significant: in 1990, the ceremony was over 50 million times more than ...
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Oscar audience drops to lowest level since 2021
The number of people in the United States tuning in live to watch the Oscars dropped by nine percent from last year, viewing figures released Tuesday showed. Around 17.9 million people saw political thriller "One Battle After Another," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, take home the top prize at Hollywood's premier awards gala on Sunday. That included people watching on the ABC broadcast network and streamer Hulu, both of which are owned by Disney. Th…
Oscars Audience Falls to Four-Year Low as Key Demographic Shrinks, Despite Addition of Streaming Viewers
Sunday’s Academy Awards audience declined from the show’s 2025 count, losing viewership in an important advertiser-coveted demographic, Nielsen data released Tuesday show. The 2026 Oscars TV audience numbers reveal several low-lights, including: Viewership declined 9%, from 19.7 million to 17.9 million. The drop was the first decline in audience in five years. The audience total was the lowest annual number in four years. Among adults 18-49, …
The 98th Academy Awards drew 17.86 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, down 9 percent from last year's 19.7 million. That made this year's ceremony the least-watched Oscar telecast since 2022. The telecast averaged a 3.92 rating among adults ages 18 to 49, down from 4.54 last year but up from 3.82 in 2024. Despite the decline in viewership, the 98th Academy Awards is considered the best-rated prime-time entertainment telecast of the 2025/2026 seaso…
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