Oscars 2025 attracts 18.1 million viewers despite 7% drop

ABC’s telecast of the 97th Academy Awards attracted 18.1 million viewers which is 7% less compared to last year.

Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony was still the most-watched entertainment broadcast of the 2024-2025 television season (not counting sporting and news events). 

The event saw a 3% increase from last year amongst aged 18-49 demographics with a rating of 3.92. The event was also the highest-rated in five years among adults aged 18-34 with a rating of 3.17.

The Hulu livestream of the Oscars faced technical difficulties, with over 34,000 users reporting issues early in the ceremony. Service was restored after nearly two hours, but problems resurfaced before the best picture announcement. 

These issues likely impacted overall viewership, though this is the first year Disney simulcast the event on Hulu, meaning streaming numbers aren’t included in past totals.

The total viewership, which combines both Nielsen’s count of viewers on ABC and those streaming on Hulu, shows the Oscars experienced its first drop in audience numbers in four years. 

Back in 2021, when the ceremony took place shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, it hit a record low of 10.4 million viewers. 

However, since then, Hollywood's biggest night has seen steady growth, with viewership rising to 16.6 million in 2022, 18.8 million in 2023, and 19.5 million in 2024.

Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars 2025 ceremony for the first time. The event’s biggest winner was Sean Baker’s indie flick “Anora” winning five awards including Best Picture.