Oscars 2026: Viewership drops by nine per cent
Viewership of the Oscars in 2026 fell by a staggering nine per cent from last year.
The number of viewers in the US who watched the 98th Academy Awards on March 15th was at a disappointing low. Compared to 10 years prior, the ceremony has lost a total of 16 million viewers.
According to Euronews, around 17.9 million people watched the ceremony. This statistic combines the ABC broadcast network and the streamer Hulu; both are owned by Disney.
Back in the golden days of the ceremony, it would draw in around 40 million viewers. In 2014, it reached a high of 43.7 million viewers.
However, during the pandemic in 2021, it plummeted to a record low of 10.4 million. Since then, it has been gradually attempting to recover viewership numbers.
More specifically, in 2022, 16.6 million watched the show; in 2023, 18.7 million watched the coveted prizes dished out to Hollywood’s biggest names; in 2024, it reached 19.5 million, and last year boasted an even higher score of 19.7 million.
This trend has stretched across every major US awards ceremony this year. The Golden Globes fell to 8.6 million viewers this year, from 9.2 million in 2025; the Grammy Awards fell to 14.4 million compared to 15.4 million last year.
The viewership is likely to continue to shake in the foreseeable future; in 2029, the ceremony will experience a huge change-up as from then it will be broadcast exclusively on YouTube.
At the 2025 Academy Awards, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another took home the top prizes, including ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners took home ‘Best Original Screenplay’, ‘Best Original Score’, ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Actor’, which went to Michael B Jordan for playing the dual twin role of Elijah and Elias Moore.
Watch host Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue from the ceremony last week below.
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