TV Ratings: Oscars Viewing Drops 8 Percent

UPDATE: Tuesday, March 4 2PM: The 2025 Oscars scored the biggest audience the awards show has seen in five years, according to final live-plus-same-day viewing numbers from Nielsen, which bring the show’s viewership to 19.69 million across ABC and Hulu.

Earlier Story...

The Oscars broadcast this year, which celebrated the independent film "Anora," drew an estimated 18.1 million viewers across TV and streaming platforms in the U.S., based on figures released by ABC on Monday. 

This marked a 7% decline from the 2024 event, when 19.5 million watched the blockbuster biopic "Oppenheimer" claim best picture. However, viewership among adults under 50 increased by 3% compared to last year, according to ABC.

Conan O'Brien

"Anora," a unique tale blending fairy-tale elements with the story of a sex worker and a Russian oligarch's son, secured this year’s best picture award along with four other honors. The film has earned $40 million globally at the box office, a stark contrast to "Oppenheimer," which raked in nearly $976 million. Comedian Conan O’Brien took the reins as host for the first time, earning widespread praise from TV critics. The nearly four-hour telecast largely steered clear of political commentary.

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman lauded O’Brien, writing, "He absolutely rocked his debut as a host, striking an ideal balance of sharpness and warmth." Gleiberman added, "This was Conan at his biting best, giving Jimmy Kimmel some serious competition."

The Academy Awards aired live on Walt Disney’s ABC and streamed on Hulu, though some Hulu users reported technical issues, including the stream cutting off just before the best actress and best picture announcements. Overall, viewership for Hollywood award shows has trended downward in recent years as audiences shift away from traditional TV toward streaming and social media. Still, Sunday’s ceremony sparked 104.2 million social interactions, outpacing both the Grammy Awards and the NFL’s Super Bowl, per ABC.

The most-watched Oscars telecast remains the 1998 event, when "Titanic" dominated the night, drawing over 57 million viewers. The low point came in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with just 10.5 million tuning in.