The Oscars are making a massive change with the 2025 ceremony that alters how you watch them!
It’s no secret that network TV has faded in the ratings over the last decade. The rise of streaming services means even big events like the Super Bowl and awards shows don’t garner the huge ratings they once did. While the 2024 Emmy Awards saw a nice uptick in viewers, it’s still tricky as folk don’t watch TV live like they once did.
It looks like the Academy has got the message. As per TVLine, the 97th Academy Awards, airing Sunday, March 2, will not only air on ABC but also stream live on Hulu. Given Disney owns both, it’s no surprise that such a cross-promotion viewing is possible.
This is a huge shift for the Oscars. The last few years have seen the ceremony be available to view on Hulu the day after the broadcast, but the Academy has still stuck to airing it live on ABC as the only way to watch.
However, the Academy and ABC have to face the reality that streaming is the future and adapting is key for the Oscars. While they have been one of the most watched events every year, the ratings erosion has been hard to ignore.
Why switching to streaming is good for the Oscars
Oscar viewership can often depend on what movies are nominated. If they’re hugely popular (such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy), ratings could be nearly 50 million viewers. If they’re less-known movies, then viewership can be lowered, although many will still watch to see if some buzzworthy moment occurs.
Since 2014’s high of 43.7 million, Oscar viewership has slowly eroded due to various factors. A lack of notable nominated movies or the simpler idea that people don’t watch live TV as much had ratings drop every year. The low point was the 2021 ceremony, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it was held off until April with a smaller in-theater crowd. It was reviewed poorly and only viewed by less than 10 million people.
The 2024 ceremony did bounce back with 19.5 million viewers, mostly thanks to having box office hits Oppenheimer and Barbie among the nominees. Many would prefer seeing clips published online rather than watching live as it’s been a running joke for decades in Hollywood how the show can often be an overlong slog. Folks will pop for a major moment (such as Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in 2022) yet are not as interested in sitting through the entire three-and-a-half-hour-plus ceremony.
Combine that with how people are “cutting the cord” for streaming rather than network TV and it’s no surprise the Oscars are following award shows like the Grammys by streaming live. This year can see an uptick in viewers as it’s expected the mega-hit Wicked to be among the nominated films, and Conan O’Brien will take over hosting duties. While ABC may be wary of losing some viewers, this will boost overall viewership with more people likely to tune into the Oscars via Hulu than watch on broadcast TV. The combined viewership could be the best the Oscars have seen in over a decade.
Thus, the Oscars take a big step into the future, heading into the streaming world and making the next ceremony one of the most important in a long time.
The 97th Academy Awards air Sunday, March 2, starting at 6:30/5:30c on ABC and Hulu.