Despite boasting jaw-dropping categorical upsets, history-making wins, and moving musical performances that will easily be talked about for weeks to come, the 2026 OSCARs aired Sunday night (March 15) and ended a five-year streak of rising ratings for the once-ailing award show.

Details inside.

Airing on ABC and Hulu, the 98th annual Academy Awards drew 17.9 million viewers – a figure that reflects a 9% drop from last year’s 19.7 million viewers.

The 2026 ratings represent the first viewership decline for the ceremony since 2021 drew in an all-time low of 10.4 million viewers.

On the upside, the Conan O’Brien-hosted show boasted a +42.4% increase in social media engagement as the Academy’s combined social platforms were up to 21.6 million interactions this year with more than 129 million video views throughout Sunday night.

[photo sources: Getty Images]

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