The 97th Oscars ceremony was watched by 19.69 million viewers throughout each ABC and digital platforms, inching simply previous the 19.5 million that watched final yr’s ceremony in 2024. It’s the best it’s been in 5 years since 2020, but it surely nonetheless has an extended approach to go to match pre-pandemic numbers, because the February 9, 2020, Academy Awards, averaging 23.6 million viewers, was on the time a historic low for the awards ceremony.
In response to Disney and ABC, the whole contains 1.645 million viewers who watched it by way of cell, PC, or pill to assist increase the quantity to 19.69 million. The present additionally had its greatest score for adults 18-49 in a five-year span, hitting a 4.54 score, which was up 19 % from 2024. It additionally carried out 28 % higher with 18-34-year-olds than the 2024 telecast.
Whereas final yr’s Oscars had the field workplace juggernaut of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” to assist increase it, the addition of Conan O’Brien as host doubtless drove up youthful viewers this yr, which helped contemplating that Finest Image winner “Anora” is among the lowest-grossing motion pictures to win Finest Image this century. Nonetheless, field workplace hits “Depraved” and “Dune” have been each nominated, and the present opened with a beforehand hyped efficiency from “Depraved” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
The present, for the primary time, was obtainable for a livestream through Hulu, although the broadcast had some main technical points and minimize out early for a lot of viewers, previous to the announcement of each Finest Actress and Finest Image. Whereas the present ran lengthy this yr, IndieWire’s assessment vastly loved this yr’s honest and foolish present as hosted by O’Brien in his first (and hopefully not closing) stint. “Anora” gained 5 of the six Oscars it was nominated for in a historic night time for the movie and director Sean Baker. He grew to become the primary particular person to win 4 Oscars in a single night time for one movie.
“Titanic’s” win in 1998 nonetheless holds the document for the most-watched Oscars ever, with a median of 55.2 million viewers. The all-time low was within the COVID yr of 2021, with simply 10.5 million complete viewers.