The ratings for the Academy Awards on Sunday night were down double-digits, according to reports on Monday.
The March 4 ceremony, which aired from 8 p.m. – 11:54 p.m. ET, averaged about 26.5 million viewers, Deadline Hollywood reported.
That was down 19 percent from last year’s show, which had 32.9 million viewers. It represented a nine-year low, the report said. But a Los Angeles Times headline blared that it might be an “all-time low,” while citing the same numbers. EW also suggested that Sunday’s ratings could be “a record low.” The Hollywood Reporter noted that the 2008 Oscars had the lowest rating just shy of 32 million and was hosted by Jon Stewart.
The LA Times also suggested that streaming online video could be a factor in the drop in viewership. Major awards events that not only count the Oscars among them but also the Super Bowl and the Grammys suffered a drop in ratings.
In 2014, according to Deadline, more than 43 million people tuned in for the Oscars, which is when “12 Years a Slave” won Best Picture.
TheWrap reported that the Oscars drew about 23 million interactions across social media websites.
Some commentators said that the Oscars’ numbers are down due to political posturing.
Media Research Center Vice President Dan Gainor told Fox News that viewers shouldn’t have been surprised that the Oscars turned political.
“The Tinseltown elite genuinely hate the people they expect will pay to see their movies and watch their TV shows,” Gainor said. “Why do we support them?”
During the ABC broadcast, host Jimmy Kimmel took shots at President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and others. “We don’t make films like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ for money,” Kimmel said at one point. “We make them to upset Mike Pence.”
“The Shape of Water” won Best Picture in 2018.
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