Oscars viewership drops 9%, first decline in 5 years

The Oscars' viewership on Sunday night dropped by 9% from last year to 17.9 million viewers, the film award show's first decline since 2021, per Nielsen's ratings.

The drop occurred after a four-year increase in viewership for the Oscars, and followed declines for this year’s Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards, The New York Times reported Tuesday. This year was the first time in several years that viewership fell for all three major award shows.

The Grammys' viewership fell to 14.4 million this year, after drawing nearly 17 million two years ago, and the Golden Globes had 8.7 million viewers this year.

Nielsen’s ratings for the Oscars included the audience that watched the ceremony on ABC and streamed it on Hulu.

There were mostly positive reviews for the Oscars telecast, as well as Conan O’Brien’s return as host. The show saw “One Battle After Another” win the award for best picture, and “Sinners” won four Oscars, including Michael B. Jordan’s first for best actor.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, pushed the ceremony to a later date this year to avoid a conflict with the Winter Olympics.

However, the World Baseball Classic — a tournament that occurs every few years — is ongoing, and Sunday night featured a close semifinal game between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. The Sunday game drew 7.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, a significant number for cable.