Oscars TV audience shrinks 9% in US from last year

The 2026 Academy Awards drew 17.9 million U.S. viewers, hitting a multi-year low, while social media engagement surged 42%, highlighting the shift from traditional TV to online platforms.

Lisa Richwine/Reuters

18 March 2026 at 01:34:58

Oscars TV audience shrinks 9% in US from last year

Host Conan O'Brien speaks onstage during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026.

Mike Blake/Reuters

The Academy Awards telecast attracted 17.9 million U.S. viewers, a 9% decrease from the previous year and the lowest since 2022, according to Nielsen data released by broadcaster ABC on Tuesday.

The figure for Sunday's show reflected viewing on ABC and on the streaming service Hulu. Both are owned by Walt Disney DIS.N.

Hollywood handed the best picture prize to darkly comic thriller "One Battle After Another" during the more than three-hour-long ceremony. Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted for the second year in a row.

Viewership for awards shows has been declining for years as TV audiences have shifted to streaming and social media.

ABC said social impressions for the Oscars increased 42% this year over 2025 to more than 184 million.

The highest-rated Academy Awards telecast aired in 1998, when megahit "Titanic" swept the honors. More than 57 million people tuned in that year.

In 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oscar ratings hit their low point with 10.5 million viewers. The Oscars ceremony will be moving from ABC to YouTubeGOOGL.O in 2029.

-Lisa Richwine/Reuters