The Oscars telecast drew the largest U.S. TV audience since 2020, with 19.5 million people watching live. This figure marks a 4% rise over the previous year, according to Nielsen data cited by American media outlets. The win for cinema comes after a trough in 2021, when all major awards shows saw viewer declines tied to the pandemic, and the Oscars attracted about 10.4 million viewers that year.
Last night’s ceremony, aired by ABC and hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, commanded a TV audience that was 4% higher than the prior edition, which drew 18.76 million. In other words, the 96th Academy Awards delivered the strongest television audience since 2020, a year in which the ceremony, held roughly a month before the U.S. entered lockdown, attracted 23.64 million viewers.
The night’s biggest winner was the film Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, collecting seven trophies including Best Picture and Best Director. This marked a historic achievement for Nolan, a British-born filmmaker whose long career saw his latest project reach the pinnacle of Oscar recognition.