Oscars Ratings Up From 2021, But Remain Second-Lowest Ever

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The 2022 Academy Awards might have been the most discussed awards show in recent memory, thanks to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Now we have the ratings: 16.62 million people tuned into the 94th Academy Awards on ABC, according to Nielsen.

The ratings are up considerably from last year, when an average of 10.4 million people watched the pared-down show, which took place at the height of the Covid pandemic.

The 2021 numbers were a historic low, a drop of nearly 56% from 2020 when 23.6 million people tuned in. At the time, the 2020 ratings had already set the record for an all-time ratings low for the awards.

The Oscars have been on a steady ratings decline since 2014, when 43.7 million people tuned in to watch 12 Years a Slave win best picture.

So while the 2022 Oscars are up from last year, they are on track to be the second-lowest Oscars ratings in history.

The show made history in other respects. Apple TV+ film CODA won best picture, marking the first movie produced by a streaming service to win the category. CODA star Troy Kotsur won best supporting actor, marking the first time a deaf man won an Oscar.

Will Smith, after assaulting an Oscars host on stage, ended up winning best actor for King Richard, thanks to his role as the father of Serena and Venus Williams. In a tearful acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy for the outburst.

This post has been updated with final numbers.