I will never understand how and why the Academy Awards decide, every single year, to add so many “filler” segments, tributes and extra musical performances into an already bloated awards show. At my big age, I’m tired of this annual conversation when anyone with half a brain would be capable of trimming the Oscars telecast down to a tight two-and-a-half hours. Well, I was prepared for a lot of post-Oscars discourse about a dwindling audience and awards given to a bunch of movies most people have never seen. But something weird has happened… the ratings news is a mixed bag. While the actual telecast on ABC reflected a dip in viewership numbers from last year, this was the first year that Hulu live-streamed the Oscars, so now the streaming numbers have been added and… this year was more-watched than last year?
Here’s a plot twist: After initial numbers showed the 2025 edition of the Oscars running behind last year’s TV audience, final figures have moved the show ahead of the 2024 telecast — and to a five-year high in several measures.
Sunday’s telecast, hosted by Conan O’Brien, averaged 19.69 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, according to Nielsen’s final same-day ratings (which includes the streaming audience on Hulu). The show marked the first time the Academy Awards were live streamed, though Hulu suffered a number of technical glitches during the evening, including cutting off the final two awards of the night for some users.
The final figure is a sizable adjustment up from the initially reported 18.07 million viewers, and it’s attributable largely to viewing on digital devices — i.e., mobile phones and tablets — that isn’t captured in Nielsen’s fast national reporting. The 19.69 million viewers is about 200,000 more than the 19.49 million for the 2024 Oscars and is the largest audience in five years. The 2020 Oscars, the final awards of the pre-pandemic era, drew 23.64 million viewers.
Sunday’s telecast also posted gains among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, hitting post-pandemic highs in both demographics. The show posted a 4.54 rating (equivalent to about 6.08 million people) among adults 18-49, up 19 percent from 3.82 a year ago. Among adults 18-34, the Oscars scored a 3.9 rating (equivalent to about 2.8 million viewers in that age range), a 28 percent improvement year to year.
As is usually the case, the Oscars is the most watched awards show of the season to date, beating out the 15.4 million viewers for the Grammys a month ago. It also topped the Grammys’ 3.91 rating among adults 18-49. The telecast is also the largest primetime entertainment show (i.e., excluding sports) on broadcast TV in 2024-25, again taking the lead from the Grammys.
Okay… that was not what I was expecting. I thought Conan O’Brien was going to be thrown under the bus and that the viewership numbers would be lower than low. Guess this is what happens when an independent film about a stripper marrying a Russian oligarch’s son wins Best Picture! The other plus for this year’s ceremony was that many of the races really were down to the wire. It was a “surprise” that Mikey Madison beat Demi Moore, and it was a surprise that Adrien Brody beat Timothee Chalamet. Usually, the Oscars feel more inevitable, and we already know who will win in the biggest races. Now, all that being said… the telecast needs to be shorter. There is no reason for it to start at 7 pm EST and end at 11 pm. There was no reason for that fakakta James Bond mess. I’m still mad about that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
