After hitting a five-year high in 2025, the Oscars slipped back to earth this year.
According to just-released Nielsen Live+Same Day data, ABC’s Conan O’Brien-hosted telecast of the 98th Academy Awards drew 17.86 million total viewers—down 12% from last year.
Other outlets have reported a smaller, roughly 9% year-over-year decline based on last year’s year panel-only data. With ABC using Nielsen’s Big Data Plus Panel measurement for this year’s numbers, this report uses the updated methodology for the prior year for a like-for-like comparison.
A total audience of 17.86 million places this year’s ceremony squarely in line with the Oscars’ post-pandemic range, which has generally hovered in the high teens after bottoming out at 10.4 million viewers in 2021.
The show saw similar declines in the all-important 18–49 demo this year, delivering 5.34 million viewers, a 13.8% drop year-over-year.
Even so, filmdom’s biggest night easily outdrew this year’s Grammys (14.4 million), Golden Globes (10.1 million), and last fall’s Emmy Awards (7.6 million), ranking as the No. 1 primetime entertainment telecast of the 2025–26 TV season to date.
Expectations were high going into this year’s ceremony after O’Brien’s debut drew 20.3 million viewers—up 3% from Jimmy Kimmel’s fourth outing as host in 2024—and that was with what was widely considered a crop of lesser nominees, many of which had limited box office reach.
This year’s telecast had several tailwinds, including a heavily promoted musical performance tied to the animated hit KPop Demon Hunters and a Best Picture slate featuring multiple $100 million box office performers.
O’Brien again earned strong reviews for his performance. As we reported yesterday, ABC executive Rob Mills confirmed the network would welcome him back, saying of the show’s end gag, “Oh, that is no joke, Conan is host for life.”
Ratings charts for the last ten Oscars telecasts follow below.
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)*
| Date | Host | Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Prior Year |
| 2/26/2017 | Jimmy Kimmel | 30.44 | 33,011 | -4.3% |
| 3/4/2018 | Jimmy Kimmel | 26.21 | 26,621 | -19.4% |
| 2/24/2019 | No host | 29.20 | 29,641 | +11.3% |
| 2/9/2020 | No host | 25.32 | 23,639 | -20.2% |
| 4/25/2021 | No host | 14.42 | 10,540 | -55.4% |
| 3/27/2022 | Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes | 23.59 | 16,675 | +58.2% |
| 3/12/2023 | Jimmy Kimmel | 27.61 | 18,565 | +11.3% |
| 3/10/2024 | Jimmy Kimmel | 30.70 | 19,693 | +6.1% |
| 3/2/2025 | Conan O’Brien | 34.40 | 20,339 | +3.3% |
| 3/15/2026 | Conan O’Brien | 29.07 | 17,860 | -12.2% |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)*
| Date | Host | Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Prior Yr |
| 2/26/2017 | Jimmy Kimmel | 29.16 | 11,723 | -12% |
| 3/4/2018 | Jimmy Kimmel | 25.12 | 8,865 | -24% |
| 2/24/2019 | No host | 29.31 | 9,917 | +12% |
| 2/9/2020 | No host | 23.99 | 6,895 | -30% |
| 4/25/2021 | No host | 14.86 | 2,844 | -59% |
| 3/27/2022 | Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes | 27.74 | 4,917 | +73% |
| 3/12/2023 | Jimmy Kimmel | 30.29 | 5,015 | +2% |
| 3/10/2024 | Jimmy Kimmel | 35.65 | 5,002 | 0% |
| 3/2/2025 | Conan O’Brien | 48.56 | 6,195 | +24% |
| 3/15/2026 | Conan O’Brien | 37.57 | 5,342 | -14% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
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I can’t believe anybody watches this garbage. Nobody under 40 cares about Hollywood anymore