Conan O'Brien hosted the ceremony, and the decline in viewership aligns with similar drops in other major award shows this season, such as the Golden Globes (down 6% to 8.66 million) in January and the Grammys (down 6% to 14.4 million) in February.
The ratings are based on Nielsen's Big Data Plus Panel ratings. The Oscars were the most-watched program of the night, leading across all demographics.
ABC reported a 42.4% increase in social impressions (184,314,370) and a rise in Academy social platform engagement to 21.6 million, compared to 19.7 million in 2025.
The ceremony marked the first viewership decline in five years. In 2021, the Oscars hit an all-time low of 10.4 million due to the pandemic, but they saw consistent growth from 2022 (16.6 million) to 2025 (19.7 million).
O'Brien received positive feedback for his second consecutive year as host, and Walt Disney Television's Rob Mills expressed interest in having him continue hosting.
" One Battle After Another " won six Oscars, including best picture and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, while "Sinners" had a strong performance with four wins, including Michael B. Jordan winning best actor.
Disney has two more years of its current deal with the Oscars, which will continue on ABC and Hulu in 2027 and 2028 before transitioning to YouTube for the 101st ceremony in 2029, with rights until at least 2033.
Source: Nielsen National Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings for 3/15/26.
2025-2026 Season (9/22/25-3/15/26). Comparisons based on Big Data Plus Panel Ratings. Talkwalker Social Content Ratings, based on linear episode-level interactions, U.S.-based activity, Twitter Trending Archive.
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