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Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting

Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting | iNFOnews.ca
Anthony Carlino, from left, Alana Haim, Will Weiske, Florencia Martin, Andy Jurgensen, Shayna McHale, Reginal Hall, Teyana Taylor, Cassandra Kulukundis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Tony Villaflor, Christopher Scarabosio, Jose Antonio Garcia, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Sara Murphy accept the award for best picture for "One Battle After Another" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The 98th Oscars hosted by Conan O’Brien saw a dip in ratings after several years of gains. The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday said that just under 17.9 million viewers tuned into Sunday’s show, which aired live on ABC and was streamed on Hulu.

The ratings are down 9% from last year’s post-pandemic high of 19.7 million viewers who tuned in for O’Brien’s inaugural year as host, when “Anora” swept the awards. The show also yielded a more significant 14% decline from last year in viewership from adults aged 18-49.

Sunday’s Oscars saw a showdown between two Warner Bros. films, “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” with the former winning best picture and director. Michael B. Jordan won best actor for “Sinners,” the most nominated film in history, with 16, that also broke the record for the most losses by a single film, with 12.

And yet despite the dip in audience, the Oscars are still the No. 1 primetime entertainment telecast of the 2025-2026 season. The Golden Globes, which aired on CBS in January, drew an audience of 8.7 million viewers which was itself down 7% from the year prior.

Engagement for the Oscars rose by other metrics, though. Primetime social impressions went up over 42% this year. And there were over 129 million video views on Academy social platforms throughout the night.

The Oscars, like many other awards shows, saw an all-time low in 2021 during the pandemic with only 10.4 million viewers. At its height in the 1990s it often attracted around 45 million viewers. Its peak came in 1998, when “Titanic” won best picture and 57.2 million people watched.

Broadcast ratings will no longer be a metric of the success for the Oscars in 2029, when the show moves to YouTube for its 101st awards.

Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting | iNFOnews.ca
Host Conan O’Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting | iNFOnews.ca
Host Conan O’Brien performs during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting | iNFOnews.ca
Michael B. Jordan, left, winner of the award for actor in a leading role for “Sinners,” and Ryan Coogler, winner of the award for writing (original screenplay) for “Sinners,” pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

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The Associated Press

Lindsey Bahr

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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