Los Angeles: Around 19.5 million people tuned in to watch the 96th Academy Awards on ABC this past Sunday, marking the largest audience the show has attracted in four years. However, this increase comes after a significant dip in viewership during the pandemic, and it's only a modest 4% rise from last year's estimated audience of 18.7 million.
The Academy tried a few new strategies this year, like starting the show an hour earlier and featuring more nominations for popular films such as Barbie and Oppenheimer. The peak viewership occurred during the final half-hour, featuring memorable moments like Ryan Gosling's performance of I'm Just Ken from Barbie and key wins for Oppenheimer.
Even though major stars like Emma Stone took home awards, and hit movies like Oppenheimer and Barbie raked in huge box office numbers globally, the Oscars didn't see the massive surge in viewership they were hoping for.
Comparatively, the Oscars did outperform other recent award shows like the Grammys, Golden Globes, and Emmy Awards, which all experienced declines in viewership. However, the Oscars' viewership has seen a significant drop over the years, from a peak of 55 million viewers in 1998 to just under 10 million during the pandemic-hit show in 2021.
Part of the decline in viewership can be attributed to the rise of streaming platforms and the changing landscape of television consumption. The Oscars were followed by the sitcom Abbott Elementary, which saw a boost in viewership, capitalising on an Oscar tie-in storyline involving Bradley Cooper. (With agency inputs)
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