The 2026 Oscars Attract 17.86 Million Viewers, Down 9% From 2025
The 97th Academy Awards in 2024, which marked Conan O'Brien's first time as host, saw 19.69 million viewers.
The 98th Oscars brought in 17.86 million viewers this past Sunday on ABC and Hulu, coming in about 9% from last year's ceremony. The 97th Academy Awards in 2024, which marked Conan O'Brien's first time as host, saw 19.69 million viewers.
The new dates are the lowest for the annual event since 2022 (which had 16.7 million viewers), though this continues a general trend in award show viewership that also included the 2026 Golden Globes earlier this year. The 2024 Oscars ceremony was the highest-rated Oscars among Adults 18-34 (3.17 rating) in five years(since 2/9/20).
With O'Brien again as host, the 98th Academy Awards took place on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show aired live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu, where it is currently available to watch.
The show featured several highlights, including full live performances of the Oscar-winning song "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters and "I Lied to You" from Sinners. Josh Groban also appeared at the top of the show to perform in a segment with host Conan O'Brien.
During the "In Memorium" portion, Barbra Streisand paid tribute to her late co-star Robert Redford with a moving speech and sang a snippet of "The Way We Were." Rachel McAdams spoke about Diane Keaton, who was also a colleague and friend, as well as Catherine O'Hara. Billy Crystal honored director Rob Reiner, joined by many of Reiner's other collaborators, including Mandy Patinkin, Meg Ryan, Carol Kane, and Kathy Bates.
Other highlights included a Bridesmaids reunion and Moulin Rouge! stars Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman as presenters of the Best Picture award, while also treating the audience to a couple of lines from their iconic Love Song medley.
Notable winners included Jessie Buckley, who won the Best Actress award for her emotional performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, beating out fellow nominees Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve and Emma Stone. Michael B. Jordan nabbed the Best Actor award for his celebrated dual performance as twin brothers in Sinners. KPop Demon Hunters, the hit Netflix musical, was honored in the categories of Best Animated Film and Best Original Song. Check out the full list of winners here.
Photo Credit: Disney/Frank Micelotta
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