The 97th Academy Awards attracted 18.07 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, according to Disney. This number is a slight dip from last year’s 19.5 million, marking a 7% decrease. The previous year, 2023, had 18.8 million viewers. Overall, viewership has been gradually increasing since the audience-only 10.4 million viewers in 2021. The ratings surged to 16.6 million in 2022, especially after the infamous incident when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
Some technical issues may have affected this year’s audience. Viewers on Hulu reported problems, such as trouble accessing accounts and being kicked out of the broadcast. These glitches likely frustrated many who were trying to tune in.
The Oscars were also quite lengthy this year, running for 3 hours and 47 minutes. While not the longest ever, longer shows can be challenging for maintaining audience engagement. However, the Academy decided on an earlier start time of 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, which helped keep the show in primetime. This change has been beneficial in retaining viewers who might have otherwise turned off the show late at night.
This slight drop in viewership mirrors trends seen across other award shows recently. For example, the Grammys saw a 9% decline in viewers this year. The Golden Globes had similar numbers, while the Emmys actually increased viewership by 60%, likely due in part to the ceremony being delayed due to the Hollywood strikes.
One highlight of the evening was Sean Baker, who made history by winning four Oscars for his film Anora, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Mikey Madison also won Best Actress for her role in the film. Adrien Brody took home the Best Actor award for The Brutalist, and Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin won in their Supporting categories.
For a complete list of the winners, you can find the details online, along with reviews of the event hosted by Conan O’Brien.
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