According to Nielsen data, the 2024 Oscar ceremony, dominated by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, saw a 4% increase in viewership, meaning 19.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the much-awaited function. In 2023, 18.8 million tuned in to watch the show. The new numbers mean that the show was propelled to a 4-year audience high.
Compared to last year’s demo rating of 4.0, ths year’s was down to 3.8.
The reason for the rise in viewership could be many. It could be a naked John Cena or Ryan Gosling’s energizing performance of Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken.” It could also be the presence of Oppenheimer and Barbie at the ceremony. Whatever was the reason, it definitely gave ABC the bragging rights of being the highest-watched Academy Awards ceremony.
Audience numbers have been steadily climbing over the last few years, experiencing a substantial surge since the 2021 Oscars, which notably lacked a host and garnered an audience of 10.4 million.
In 2022, marked by the infamous moment of actor Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock, viewership soared to 16.6 million, making it a significant increase.
The Oscars have been on a steady decline for the past decade, after scoring more than 43M viewers in 2014.
By 2020, the viewership had almost halved, with only 23.6 million tuning in. The pandemic undoubtedly hastened this decline, significantly impacting the ratings. However, as today demonstrates, they are now poised to return to, if not surpass, pre-pandemic levels.
The uptick in Oscar viewership seems consistent with other award ceremonies in the past year. In January, the Golden Globes saw a 50% increase in viewership, reaching its highest numbers in years. Similarly, the Grammys experienced a double-digit surge compared to its audience two years ago.
Jimmy Kimmel returned for his fourth stint as ABC’s reliable host for the evening, presiding over a night where “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things” emerged as the most celebrated films. “Oppenheimer” claimed the coveted Best Picture award, along with Best Director for Christopher Nolan and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. Meanwhile, Emma Stone secured the Best Actress accolade for her portrayal of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things.”
About Author
Leave a Reply