Earlier Start Propels The Oscars to 19.4M Viewers, Best in Four Years

Oscars
(Image credit: Getty)

ABC is reporting that the early start for the 96th Oscars on ABC helped push the average audience to 19.5 million total viewers, a four-year high. It also scored a 3.81 rating among adults 18-49 based on Fast National Live+Same Day program data from Nielsen. 

The four-year high in total viewers (19.5 million), the biggest since the 2020 broadcast, also meant that “The Oscars” grew for the 3rd straight year in Total Viewers, improving over last year’s broadcast by nearly 1 million viewers (19.5 million vs. 18.8 million), ABC said. 

ABC’s broadcast of the 96th Oscars peaked in the final half-hour (10:00-10:29 p.m.) with 21.9 million Total Viewers.

ABC also reported that the 96th Oscars stood as the strongest awards show telecast on any network in 4 years in Total Viewers (19.5 million) – since ABC’s broadcast of the 2020 Oscars on 2/9/20. 

The 2024 Oscars also ranked as the top entertainment special in primetime on any network in 4 years in Total Viewers (19.5 million). With 5 million total viewers, “The Oscars” on ABC outdrew “The Grammys” on CBS by 14% (17.1 million on 2/4/24) and “The Golden Globes®” by 105% (9.5 million on 1/7/24) and “The 75th Emmy Awards” on Fox by 333% (4.5 million on 1/15/24).

The 96th Oscars also ranked as the No. 1 most social program on Sunday, generating 28.5 million total social interactions and growing 4% from last year’s ceremony (27.4 million).

“The Oscars” stood as the 1 entertainment program of the year to date in terms of social video consumption with 71.8 million video views.

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.