The Oscars wanted more viewers and, boy, did they get them.
More than 15.3 million viewers tuned into ABC for Sunday night’s award show, according to fast Nielsen ratings obtained by Variety. That number, which does not include live streams or anything after 11 p.m. ET, will almost certainly rise with the full figure, expected later Monday.
As it stands, the 2022 Oscars showed an uptick of 56% in total viewers over 2021 and a 68% increase in adults 18-49.
But if you zoom out, that’s still a hugely disappointing number for ABC, the second least-watched Oscars ceremony since Nielsen began tracking total viewers in the 1970s. It’s also only the second broadcast to dip below 20 million viewers.
Most of the overly long award show was a relatively boring affair, led by co-hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall and their dirty jokes. The awards themselves were predictable, even historic wins for “West Side Story” supporting actress Ariana DeBose and “CODA” star Troy Kotsur.
Around 10:30 p.m., though, things picked up when future lead actor winner Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after the presenter joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Given the speed of Twitter, most of that newfound attention came online, rather than people rushing to their remotes to change the channel.
Awards shows continue a steady, dramatic falloff in viewership, even as they inch back up after the pandemic.
