It was a historic 92nd Academy Awards with a first Best Picture recipient not in the English language in Parasite adding an element of surprise to a largely predictable winners list. There was something historic in the ratings for the 2020 Oscars too, and it was a historic low.
Last year, the Academy Awards bet on no traditional host, kicked off the night with an energetic performance by Queen and Adam Lambert, employed “not hosts” with Saturday Night Live pedigree (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph) to do an opening monologue, kept the show’s length under 3.5 hours and created a musical moment with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s performance of Shallow.
The result was the first ratings increase in five years, so the Oscars tried to replicate the formula this year — no traditional host, high-octane opening number by Janelle Monae. monologue by SNL regular Steve Marin and alum Chris Rock, and a surprise music performance by Eminem aimed at creating a buzzy moment.
But the ceremony, which clocked in at 3 hours 35 min, up from 3 hours 23 min in 2019, could not repeat last year’s ratings turnaround, drawing 23.6 million total Viewers and a 5.3 rating in Adults 18-49, based on Nielsen’s Live + Same Day Fast National ratings ordered by ABC. That was down double-digits from last year’s 29.6 million and a 7.7 rating of among adults 18-49.
Here is a list of the list of the ceremonies of the last two decades with viewership.
2019: 29.6 million, Green Book (No host)
2018: 26.5 million, The Shape of Water (Jimmy Kimmel)
2017: 32.9 million, Moonlight (Jimmy Kimmel)
2016: 34.4 million, Spotlight (Chris Rock)
2015: 37.3 million, Birdman (Neil Patrick Harris)
2014: 43.7 million, 12 Years a Slave (Ellen DeGeneres)
2013: 40.3 million, Argo (Seth MacFarlane)
2012: 39.3 million, The Artist (Billy Crystal)
2011: 37.9 million, The King’s Speech (Anne Hathaway/James Franco)
2010: 41.3 million, The Hurt Locker (Steve Martin/Alec Baldwin)
2009: 36.3 million, Slumdog Millionaire (Hugh Jackman)
2008: 32.0 million, No Country For Old Men (Jon Stewart)
2007: 40. 2 million, The Departed (Ellen DeGeneres)
2006: 38.9 million, Crash (Jon Stewart)
2005 42.1 million, Million Dollar Baby (Chris Rock)
2004: 43.5 million, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King (Billy Crystal)
2003: 33.0 million, Chicago (Steve Martin)
2002: 41.8 million, A Beautiful Mind (Whoopi Goldberg)
2001: 42.9 million, Gladiator (Steve Martin)