Oscars 2025 Viewership Down By 7% As Hulu Streaming Faced Glitches Throughout The Runtime

Nearly 18.1 million viewers tuned in to ABC’s broadcast of the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, reflecting a 7% decline compared to the previous year.

This figure, which accounts for Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on ABC along with Hulu livestreams, marks the first decline in Oscars viewership in four years.

In 2021, the first ceremony following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic recorded an all-time low of 10.4 million viewers. However, Hollywood’s biggest night saw steady year-over-year growth in the three years that followed, reaching 16.6 million viewers in 2022, 18.8 million in 2023, and 19.5 million in 2024.

Despite the dip, the Oscars remained the most-watched primetime entertainment telecast (excluding sports and news) of the 2024-2025 TV season thus far.

The ceremony also posted the highest rating among adults aged 18-49 this season, achieving a 3.92 rating—an increase of 3% from last year. Among adults aged 18-34, this was the highest-rated Oscars in five years, earning a 3.17 rating.

Additionally, the Hulu livestream experienced technical difficulties during the broadcast. Less than 30 minutes into the ceremony, over 34,000 users reported issues accessing the stream on Downdetector.

At 5:48 p.m., nearly two hours into the broadcast, Hulu Support posted on X that service had been restored for affected users. However, additional issues were reported towards the end of the event, just before the best picture winner was announced.

As the telecast, originally scheduled to conclude at 7:32 p.m., ran over its allotted time, some viewers lost access to the livestream prematurely.

It is likely that overall viewership figures could have been slightly higher had these technical disruptions not occurred. However, this marks the first year Disney has simulcast the Oscars on Hulu, meaning streaming data from prior years is not directly comparable.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by first-time Oscars emcee Conan O’Brien, who received positive feedback for his performance on the Dolby Theatre stage.

“Anora” was the night’s biggest winner, securing the best picture award along with Mikey Madison’s win for best actress, and Sean Baker’s victories in the categories of best director, editing, and original screenplay. See the full winners list here.

Following the awards show, ABC aired a half-hour preview of the eighth season of “American Idol.” The lead-in from the Oscars helped the singing competition attract 5.9 million viewers, marking its most successful season premiere in three years.