The 2023 Oscars show got its first bump in the ratings since the 2020 broadcast of the annual event, but it still failed to get anywhere close to the numbers the show had before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans tuned in to see what would happen when the 95th Academy Awards were broadcast from Los Angeles on Sunday, with the ABC show scoring an average of 18.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The ratings for the star-studded event held at the Dolby Theater are up 12% over the the numbers from the year before. It was the best showing for tinseltown’s biggest night since 2020, when the show brought in an audience of 23.6 million.
TV Ratings: Oscars Rise to Three-Year High https://t.co/kOXKKwA9DU
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 13, 2023
To put Sunday’s numbers into context, the 2022 Oscars averaged 16.7 million viewers, going up 58% over the telecast’s all-time low in 2021 of 10.5 million viewers.
The 94th Academy Awards ratings explosion was most likely aided by images and reports that surfaced on social media of Will Smith walking up on stage and slapping Chris Rock in the face, as previously reported.
However, Sunday’s numbers for ABC are still dismal compared to the show pre-pandemic in 2019 which had nearly 30 million people tune in to watch their favorite stars and see which films would win.
The outlet noted that the 2023 Oscars seemed more upbeat than the annual awards show since the pandemic shut down Hollywood and the world.
“Indiana Jones” star Ke Huy Quan scored an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the sci-fi movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” After being named winner, the actor gave an inspirational acceptance speech about the American Dream, as previously reported.
“My mom is 84 years old and she’s at home watching,” Quan told the room full of stars Sunday night. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!”
“My journey started on a boat,” the Vietnam-born actor added. “I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This … this is the American Dream!”
Related: ‘Indiana Jones’ Actor Ke Huy Quan Gets Emotional During Golden Globes Acceptance Speech