he television audience for Sunday’s Academy Awards dropped to a record low of 9.85 million viewers on Walt Disney Co’s ABC, according to preliminary data released on Monday.
That represented a 58% decline from last year’s final tally, which showed 23.6 million people tuned in for the film industry’s highest honors.
The slide in viewership reflects a trend among live awards shows. TV audiences for September’s Emmys and the Grammy Awards in March also drew their lowest audiences ever. Ratings for the Golden Globes in February fell 60% from a year earlier.
Hoping to draw viewers while adhering to pandemic safety measures, this year’s producers tried a few new things. The awards were broadcast for the first time at a historic train station in downtown Los Angeles in a more intimate setting with only nominees and their guests.
The show featured a historic best director win for Chloe Zhao, who became the second woman and first woman of color to take home that prize. Her film, “Nomadland,” won best picture [L1N2MI0I8].
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Howard Goller)