Screentime
Oscars Audience Collapses in Latest Setback for Awards Shows
- Fewer than 10 million tuned in for Sunday’s broadcast on ABC
- Ceremony was pared down because of the coronavirus pandemic
The TV audience for Sunday’s Oscars -- a pared-down show stripped of the usual music, dancing and comedy -- fell by more than half, the latest disappointing number for live television generally and awards shows in particular.
About 9.85 million U.S. viewers tuned in for the 93rd Academy Awards, Walt Disney Co.’s ABC said Monday. Last year, about 24 million watched, which was the lowest since Nielsen began providing audience totals in 1974. The peak of 55.2 million viewers occurred in 1998, when the blockbuster “Titanic” was the big winner.