The 2026 Oscars drew an audience of 17.9m on ABC and Hulu, marking the lowest number in four years and a 9% year-on-year drop.
Nielson’s big data plus panel ratings measuring panel data and smart TV/set-top box data from more than 45million US homes confirmed the lowest viewership since 16.6m watched the ceremony in 2022.
The number does not include PC and mobile and could be revised this week. The same happened last year when the original 18.1m tally increased to 19.7m the following day.
However the 98th annual ceremony was the most-watched show on Sunday night and also topped all awards shows in the 2025-26 season. The Golden Globes drew 8.7m viewers in January.
Sunday’s (March 15) show earned a 3.92 rating from the adults 18-49 bracket after decling by 13.7% from 4.54 in 2025.
Hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second time, the Oscars produced a triumphant night for Warner Bros as One Battle After Another took six wins including best picture, director, editor, and the first casting Academy Award, and four for Sinners including best lead actor for Michael B. Jordan. Warner Bros stablemate Weapons landed the supporting actress prize for Amy Madigan.
YouTube will become the exclusive global airer of the Oscars starting with the 101st ceremony in a five-year deal that runs 2029-33.
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