Oscars ratings hit four-year low with Conan O’Brien as host, viewership drops 9% to under 18 million

This year’s Oscars hit a four-year low mark for the program, bringing in under 18 million viewers across different viewing platforms with Conan O’Brien as the host. The figure is down 9 percent from the showing in 2025.

Sunday’s showing drew 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu, marking a four-year low. That total is down nine percent from last year’s 19.69 million audience, and the broadcast posted a 3.92 rating among adults 18-49, per TVLine.

The show remains a well-watched primetime entertainment program of the 2025-26 season, outperforming other major awards like the Grammys (14.41 million viewers) and the Golden Globes (8.66 million). But the dip is notable after four consecutive years of growth following the 2021 show, which had around 10 million viewers.

The revelations on the low mark for the Oscars come as ironic, as host Conan O’Brien tried to take a cheap shot at Turning Point USA’s ratings for their “All American Halftime Show” an alternative to Bad Bunny at the Superbowl. He said during a bit about politics, "I should warn you, tonight could get political, okay, and if that makes you uncomfortable, there's an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. Now, its at the Dave and Busters down the street. A lot of tickets for that.”

Kid Rock was one among several artists who performed at TPUSA’s alternative halftime show back in February. TPUSA's alternate halftime show broke records for YouTube livestreams, having over 6.17 million concurrent viewers at its peak. Overall, the TPUSA All-American Halftime show amassed almost 50 million viewers.

The Oscars ceremony saw woke Antifa propaganda film "One Battle After Another" win Best Picture alongwith Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Adapted Screenplay. The event also included a performance of "Golden" from the animated winner "KPop Demon Hunters." The show also had a tribute honoring the late Rob Reiner.

ABC being the Oscars’ home broadcaster is also nearing its end. Beginning in 2029, the ceremony will shift to YouTube under a deal set to run through at least 2033.