The 98th Academy Awards drew 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu on Sunday, marking a four-year low for the ceremony.
The figure represents a decline of around 9% from last year’s nearly 20 million viewers, a total that had included PC and mobile viewership measured by Disney. While this year’s number could see a slight upward revision as additional viewing metrics are accounted for, it still signals a dip after a period of gradual recovery in Oscars ratings.
Despite the decline, the Oscars continue to outperform most other major awards shows in recent years, including the Golden Globes, Emmys and Grammys, maintaining their position as one of the most-watched events in the entertainment calendar.
The reasons behind the drop remain unclear, especially given the ceremony’s recent upward trend. The Academy maintained its earlier start time of 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, a strategy introduced in recent years to keep the show within primetime hours and prevent late-night audience drop-offs. While this approach has previously helped retain viewers, it did not prevent the dip this year.
The duration of the ceremony may have also played a role. The broadcast came close to becoming one of the longest Oscars telecasts on record, and its extended runtime may have discouraged some viewers, even as the night featured historic wins and notable moments.
On the awards front, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerged as the biggest winner with six awards, followed by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with four. The results capped off a competitive awards season between the two films, both backed by Warner Bros., which led distributors with a total of 11 Oscars.
Netflix followed with seven wins, including three for Frankenstein. The streamer’s KPop Demon Hunters was the only other film to win multiple awards, while no other studio secured more than one trophy.
In the acting categories, Michael B. Jordan won best actor for his dual role in Sinners, continuing his awards season momentum after his earlier victory at the Actor Awards. Jessie Buckley took home best actress for Hamnet, a result that had been widely anticipated.
While the ceremony delivered major wins and standout performances, the latest ratings suggest that sustaining audience growth for the Oscars remains a challenge, even as the show continues to dominate the awards season landscape.
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