Oscars viewership hits record 18.7 million viewers, 12% higher than 2022

Overnight data showed the 95th Academy Awards were watched by an average of 18.7 million people in the United States, a 12% increase over 2022.

Market measurement firm Nielsen said preliminary viewership for this year’s Oscars was the highest of any show since 2020.

But the ceremony was the third least-watched since Nielsen began tracking it.

The Oscars will be watched by 10.4 million and 16.6 million people in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Sunday’s show, which airs on US network ABC, features “everything, anywhere” and won seven awards.

It’s hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who has a late-night talk show on ABC and hosted the 2018 Oscars.

The scaled-down 2021 awards show is the lowest-watched Oscars show ever.

Viewers may have returned to see how Hollywood would respond to last year’s slapping incident involving Will Smith and host Chris Rock.

Alternatively, the numbers could have been driven by interest in blockbusters such as Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and Everything Everywhere.

Organizers were encouraged by audiences on social media that were not included in earlier time zone-adjusted Nielsen numbers.

According to showbiz bible Variety, the 1998 Oscars (where Titanic won Best Picture) were the most-watched in history, attracting more than 55 million viewers.

The last time the show surpassed 30 million views was in 2017, when “Moonlight” won best picture and attracted 33 million viewers.