The 2026 Academy Awards Viewership Drops Nearly 10% From Last Year
The ceremony was also among the longest ever.
Hollywood’s biggest night was a little smaller than usual, with The Oscars receiving a 4-year low in viewership.
What’s Happening:
- While The Oscars are generally regarded as the most prestigious award show in Hollywood, this year’s ceremony had a disappointing dip in viewership.
- According to Deadline, The 98th Oscars drew 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu, marking a four-year low.
- Viewership declined about 9% compared to last year’s nearly 20 million viewers.
- The total could rise slightly once additional PC and mobile viewing is fully accounted for.
- Despite the drop, the Oscars still outperformed other recent award shows like the Golden Globes, Emmys, and Grammys.
- The reason for the decline is unclear, especially since ratings had been increasing in recent years.
- The ceremony again started earlier at 7PM ET / 4PM PT to stay within primetime.
- Earlier start times in recent years have helped retain viewers who might otherwise stop watching late at night.
- However, the show nearly became the longest Oscars broadcast ever, with its extended runtime potentially discouraging some viewers despite an eventful night.
- Warner Bros. led all studios with 11 total awards amid its $110 billion Paramount Skydance acquisition.
- Netflix came in second with seven wins.
- While hosted on ABC and Hulu, Disney only took home one award the entire evening with Avatar: Fire and Ash taking home the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
- While Disney usually dominates in the animation category, Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters beat out both Zootopia 2 and Elio.
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