Fully 16.6 million total viewers watched the Academy Awards March 27 on ABC. That’s a 58% gain over last year’s 10.5 million viewers, which was a record low.
The broadcast delivered a 3.8 rating among viewers 18-49, per Nielsen National Live+Same Day ratings, 73% better than 2021’s 2.2 score.
Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted the 94th Oscars, following three years of a hostless event. The last three-host Oscars was 1987, with Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan.
Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock got the headline March 27. Smith came onstage after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith apologized on Instagram a day later.
The slap happened at 10:27 p.m. ET. Some 16.8 million viewers were watching in the moments before the dust-up, and 17.4 million in the moments after.
Smith later got the best actor Oscar for his role in tennis biopic King Richard, in which he plays the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Jessica Chastain got best actress for her work in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Coda won best picture.
Will Packer produced the telecast. ■
