Oscars Audience Hits 5-Year High of 19.7 Million (Updated)
The updated Nielsen numbers are in, and with the addition of 1.645 million viewers who tuned in via digital devices, ABC’s broadcast of the 97th Academy Awards — winningly hosted by Conan O’Brien but spanning three hours and 50 minutes — delivered a total audience of 19.69 million on Sunday night, up a tick from last year to mark a five-year high.
In the Adults 18-49 demo, the Oscars scored a 4.5 rating, up 19% YOY and also a five-year high. And among Adults 18-34, the ceremony posed a six-year high (3.9 rating).
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Filmdom’s biggest night thus easily outdrew the most recent Grammys (15.4 million) and Golden Globes (9.3 million), and last fall’s Emmys (6.9 million), to stand as the No. 1 primetime entertainment telecast of the 2024-25 TV season.
TVLine readers gave host O’Brien’s opening monologue an average grade of “B,” while Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s medley of Wizard of Oz-some tunes earned an “A.”
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Leading out of the Oscars, a special 30-minute preview of American Idol’s new season retained 5.93 million total viewers and 0.84 rating (among Adults 18-49, a three-year high for an Idol opener).
It was back in 2022 that viewership for the Oscars surged for the first time in a long time, following a steady slide that over a decade saw its audience plummet 74 percent (to an all-time low of 10.4 million viewers in 2021).
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