In Los Angeles, the Oscars managed to attract a sizable audience despite featuring smaller films. Approximately 19.7 million viewers tuned in for the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday night, marking the highest viewership the event has seen in five years, as reported by ABC.
This year, the big winner was the film “Anora,” which clinched five Oscars, including the prestigious best picture award. Other nominees and winners, although not widely seen before the ceremony, contributed to the increase over last year’s audience of 19.5 million. Notably, last year’s Oscars featured significant wins for the popular film “Oppenheimer” and a noticeable presence from the hit movie “Barbie.”
The event, which was hosted by Conan O’Brien, benefited from the popular musical film “Wicked” receiving 10 nominations. Its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, opened the show with a standout performance. “Wicked” ended up taking home awards for production design and costumes.
A notable rise in viewership was recorded among the 18 to 49 age group, fueled by younger audiences watching on mobile devices and laptops. ABC highlighted that it was the most-watched primetime entertainment event of 2025.
Despite these gains, the show’s numbers are still recovering from the pandemic-induced slump and changing viewer habits affecting most live events outside the Super Bowl. A peak of 55 million viewers was reached when “Titanic” swept the Oscars in 1998. The viewership didn’t fall below 30 million until 2018, dipping to 26.5 million. The pandemic-hit 2021 show drew just 9.85 million, with numbers starting to rebound in 2022 when the broadcast reached 16.6 million, partly due to a much-publicized incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock.
In an unexpected turn, Hulu’s first live stream of the Oscars abruptly ended during the ceremony’s final moments, causing viewers to miss Mikey Madison’s best actress win and the announcement of “Anora” as the best picture winner in real time.
Despite fluctuating numbers, the Oscars continues to command a larger audience than other award shows. This year’s nearly 20 million viewers dwarfed the Grammys, which drew 15.4 million.
