Oscars ratings in the US fall to their lowest levels in four years, defying expectations | Oscars 2026

Hopes were high that the popularity of big hitters Sinners and One Battle After Another would translate to a larger audience for the Academy Awards telecast. However, the numbers are at a four-year low in the US, where the show reached 17.9 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, down about 9% from last year’s 19.7 million viewers.

Many assumed that the five-year high represented by 2025 was a product of interest in the post-Covid return of cinema – all the more cheering given that the film that dominated, Sean Baker’s Anora, was not a major player at the box office.

This film grossed $20 million in the US, which is pretty good for an arthouse release, but chump change compared to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which made $280 million, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle, which made $72 million.

“Battle After Battle” outperformed internationally, with a global total of $210 million, while “The Sinners” landed less well overseas with a global total of $370 million.

Audience approval ratings for the Oscars were also down, averaging 3.92 (out of five) among 18-49 year olds, compared to 4.54 last year — but up from 3.82 in 2024 (when Oppenheimer sweeps the board).

However, the show is now the No. 1 entertainment TV program in the US for the 2025-2026 season, with competitors like the Golden Globes garnering 8.66 million viewers (down 6% year-over-year) and the Grammys also falling by 6% to 14.4 million.

The show aired on ABC and Hulu and the broadcaster reported that social media impressions rose 42% to 184 million, while the academy’s social media platforms also rose.

Rob Mills, the Disney executive in charge of the Oscars telecast, told Variety on Monday that he was so pleased with Conan O’Brien’s second consecutive stint as host that he would have the job next year, if he wanted it.

This year’s American broadcast contained a number of audio errors and attracted criticism for what many saw as the saving of time by cutting short acceptance speeches, particularly those by Goldsmith composer Yu Han Lee.

Speaking to Variety about the incident, Mills acknowledged the problem, saying: “I don’t know what the most elegant solution is, but it’s clearly something we have to look at long and hard.”

The Oscars will continue to air on ABC and Hulu for another two years, before they move to YouTube in 2029, following their 100th edition in 2028. The channel will have the rights until at least 2033. O’Brien clearly targeted the deal in a skit during the ceremony, during which his speech was constantly interrupted by false announcements directed at comedian Jane Lynch.