It remains to be seen if the glitches affected the show’s ratings, with Nielsen numbers likely coming out later in the day on Monday. However, even before the addition of Hulu and streaming, the Oscars numbers had been trending up in recent years.
After falling to record lows in 2021, the show rose to reach 16.6 million viewers in 2022 and 18.8 million viewers in 2023. Meanwhile, 2024’s ceremony, which included Barbenheimer magic, ticked up again to 19.5 million.
Ahead of the show airing, Academy CEO Bill Kramer spoke with ADWEEK about the ceremony coming to Hulu for the first time. And as ADWEEK’s Ethan Alter noted, the Oscars CEO was expecting ratings to defy gravity.
“I think we’re going to reach a new audience this year,” Kramer said. “We’re very excited about that.”
