Oscars Audience Drops to Lowest Ever in Latest Blow to Live TV
- ABC attracts 26.5 million viewers to marathon awards telecast
- Programmers keep charging higher rates for shrinking audiences
The audience for Sunday’s Academy Awards telecast was the lowest in the event’s history, raising fresh doubts about the media industry’s ability to attract ever-growing audiences to live events.
The almost four-hour show drew 26.5 million viewers on Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Network, down 20 percent from a year ago and the smallest audience since Nielsen began tracking viewers in 1974. “The Shape of Water,” from 21st Century Fox Inc., won the Oscar for best picture.