The 96th Academy Awards drew in an estimated 19.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, marking a 4% increase from 2023’s 18.7 million and the highest viewership since 2020.
The television viewership boost is likely attributed to the nominations of popular films like "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."
However, viewership remains significantly lower compared to pre-pandemic years.
The Declining Oscar Viewership
The overall decline in Oscar viewership reflects a broader trend in entertainment consumption.
In 2022, Oscar viewership was at 16.6 million, a staggering decline compared to 43.7 million viewers in 2014.
From then on, TV viewership continued to dwindle to 29.6 million in 2019 and 23.6 million in 2020, just before the pandemic hit.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions that had considerable ramifications in the film industry — movie productions were postponed and theaters were closed indefinitely — the delayed Academy Awards ceremony had a record-low viewership of 10.4 million.
Despite higher viewership, the 2024 Oscars garnered a slightly negative response within its core demographic, as ratings among adults 18-49 dipped to 3.81 from 4.03 in 2023.
Big Winners of the 96th Academy Awards
This year’s ceremony was a night to remember for "Oppenheimer" which took home the most awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Here's a list of the 2024 Oscar winners from the main categories:
- Best Picture: Oppenheimer
- Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
- Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema (Oppenheimer)
- Best Actor: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
- Best Actress: Emma Stone (Poor Things)
- Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)
- Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)
- Best Editing: Jennifer Lame (Oppenheimer)
- Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington (Poor Things)
- Best Original Song: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell ("What Was I Made For?" from Barbie)
- Best International Feature Film: The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
- Best Animated Feature Film: The Boy and the Heron
