HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: (L-R) Adrien Brody, winner of the Best Actor in a Leading Role for … [+]
FilmMagicAfter three consecutive years of growth, the live 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, slipped to 18.07 million viewers across ABC and streaming partner Hulu, per a combination of Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on ABC and livestreams on Hulu. News of the 7% decline from last year’s telecast (19.5 million) comes on the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reportedly planning the shop the annual event to other networks and platforms given the current contract with ABC expires in 2028.
While this is now, season-to-date, the most-watched primetime entertainment telecast (excluding sports and news), just five years ago, in 2020, The Academy Awards scored 23.6 million viewers (based on the nationals from Nielsen). In the early 2000s, The Oscars hovered in the 40 million viewer range, with a whopping 57.25 million viewers at his height in 1998 (when Titanic was named Best Picture).
Linear platform viewership, of course, has been decreasing for years in this multi-platform universe. But the migration of once theatrical only entries to streaming services has taken its toll on the movie box office, diluting interest in the awards gala.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Billy Crystal (L) and Meg Ryan (R), pose with (L-R) Sean Baker, … [+]
FilmMagicOnce the DVR usage is factored in, expect The 97th Academy Awards to slightly surpass 20 million viewers.
ABC, meanwhile, is reporting a 3.92 rating in adults 18-49, which is a rise of 3 percent from last year, and the highest rating among adults 18-34 (3.17 rating) since 2020. Of course, these demographic tallies also pale in comparison to when The Oscars was truly the “Super Bowl of Entertainment.”
Socially, The 97th Oscars earned 104.2 million total social interactions, ranking as the No. 1 most social TV program season-to-date.
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