Elon Musk, the owner of X and Tesla boss, has ripped into the Oscars after the total number of viewers that the 98th Academy Awards ceremony attracted on Sunday night.
It has been revealed that a total of 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu tuned in on Sunday evening from the States, marking a nine per cent fall from the previous year’s audience of 19.7 million.
This year’s broadcast, once again hosted by Conan O’Brien, recorded the smallest viewership for Hollywood’s premier awards show since 2022.
The ceremony saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another triumph over Ryan Coogler’s Sinners in the battle for best picture, whilst Michael B Jordan claimed the best actor prize for his dual performance in the latter film.
Elon Musk has slammed the Oscars
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GETTY
Among adults aged 18-49, the decline proved steeper still, with ratings dropping 14 per cent compared to last year’s figures.
The decline brings to an end a five-year period of consecutive audience growth for the Academy Awards.
Following the pandemic-affected 2021 ceremony, which drew just 10.4 million viewers when social distancing measures forced organisers to relocate proceedings to Los Angeles’ Union Station, the broadcast had steadily rebuilt its audience.
Viewership climbed to 16.6 million in 2022 after the show returned to the Dolby Theatre, before rising further to 18.8 million in 2023, 19.5 million in 2024, and reaching a post-pandemic peak of 19.7 million last year.
Conan O’Brien was elected to host this year’s awards
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GETTYIndustry observers have suggested the downturn may reflect broader challenges facing linear television rather than issues specific to the Oscars themselves.
Mr Musk took to X to react to the decline in viewing figures, especially when one political commentator on the social media platform drew comparisons to audiences from previous decades.
“Oscar ratings decline in two decades: 1996 – 45 million 2006 – 36 million 2016 – 34 million 2026 – 17 million. It’s over for these networks. TV only exists anymore for live sports,” the X user penned. (sic)
Mr Musk didn’t hold back as he replied to the figures: “Winning an Oscar has become an embarrassment.”
Despite Mr Musk’s critique and the reduced audience as a whole, the Oscars did maintain its position as the most-watched primetime entertainment programme of the 2025-2026 season, according to Disney.
The ceremony comfortably outpaced other major awards broadcasts, with the Golden Globes attracting 8.7 million viewers in January and the Grammys drawing 14.4 million in February.
Both rival shows experienced comparable declines of approximately six to seven per cent from their previous year’s figures, suggesting the Oscars’ dip forms part of a wider pattern affecting televised awards ceremonies.
The Academy Awards also topped all other programming on Sunday night across every key demographic measured by Nielsen.
Elon Musk is said to have urged Mr Trump to raise Britain’s social media restrictions during trade negotiations | REUTERS
The broadcast will remain on ABC and Hulu for the next two years, covering the Academy Awards’ centenary celebration in 2028, before transitioning to YouTube for the 101st ceremony in 2029.
The streaming platform has secured rights to the show through at least 2033, marking a significant shift away from traditional broadcast metrics.
Social media engagement offered some consolation for organisers, with primetime social impressions rising 42.4 per cent compared to last year.
The Academy’s own digital platforms also performed strongly, reaching 21.6 million users compared to 19.7 million in 2025, whilst video content accumulated more than 129 million views throughout the evening.
