The live broadcast of the Oscar Awards ceremony on March 10th (US time) achieved the highest viewership in 4 years, reported Reuters. Approximately 19.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2024 Oscar Awards ceremony on the ABC network (owned by Walt Disney), as announced on March 12th (Vietnam time).
Last year, the viewership was 18.7 million, showing a 4% increase in viewership this year for the honored films of the film industry.
The blockbuster historical film “Oppenheimer,” depicting the race to create the first atomic bomb, won 7 Oscars, including the Best Picture award.
On social media, the Oscars were ranked as the number 1 trending program on March 10th (US time), generating 28.5 million interactions, also up about 4% from last year, according to ABC.
The network further noted that the hashtag #Oscars was the top trending topic in the US on the X social media platform throughout the live broadcast of the awards ceremony and was the most used hashtag on X worldwide on March 10th.
Jimmy Kimmel returned as the host for the event, and the program received overall positive reviews. The awards ceremony started an hour earlier than usual – a move aimed at attracting more viewers.
The program honored the top 2 highest-grossing films of last year: “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” with memorable musical performances, including actor Gosling donning a hot pink outfit to perform the song “I’m Just Ken.” Alongside humorous moments like John Cena appearing nude to announce the Best Costume Design award.
The viewership of the Oscars has declined in recent years as audiences have shifted to online streaming and social media.
The Oscars telecast by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences achieved its highest viewership in 1998 when the blockbuster “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. Over 57 million viewers tuned in that year.
In 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Oscar viewership hit a low with approximately 10 million viewers, followed by 15.3 million viewers in 2022, and 18.7 million viewers in 2023.