Viewership dipped to a four-year low, but online engagement surged, highlighting a major shift in how audiences experience Hollywood\u2019s biggest night.MEGA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
The Oscars<\/a> may have drawn fewer viewers this year, but they were far from quiet.<\/p>\n The 2026 Academy Awards pulled in 17.86 million viewers across ABC<\/a> and Hulu<\/a>, down about 9 percent from last year and marking a four-year low. But according to ABC, the ceremony generated more than 181 million social media impressions \u2014 a 42.4 percent jump from last year \u2014 underscoring a growing divide between how audiences watch the show and how they engage with it.<\/p>\n Social media engagement surged during the ceremony.MEGA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n For decades, the Oscars were appointment viewing. Now, the conversation is happening in real time, and often outside the broadcast itself.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople listen to what their friends say on social media as they agree or disagree,\u201d said renowned body-language expertLillian Glass<\/strong>, Ph.D.<\/a> \u201cThese films open a dialogue. The fashion opens dialogue. They discuss who should have won and who should have lost.\u201d<\/p>\n That interactive layer is key to understanding the surge in online activity. \u201cIt makes perfect sense why social media buzz is at its highest. It is the perfect place where people can vent, appreciate, hate, and love in an honest way,\u201d Glass said. \u201cIn essence, they have someone else to communicate with and share their thoughts and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts pointed to how the Oscars’ impact is measured has changed.MEGA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cThe Oscars still have real cultural impact, but the way that impact is measured has fundamentally shifted,\u201d said Richard Kirshenbaum<\/strong>, founder of storied Manhattan ad agency Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners and an inductee into the Advertising Hall of Fame. \u201cTraditional ratings are less important than total reach \u2014 streaming, clip views, and post-show engagement all factor in now.\u201d<\/p>\n Kirshenbaum, author of the novel The Hollywood Fix<\/em><\/a>, points to a broader change in audience behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cToday’s viewers are faster-paced. They want to snack and digest highlights, not sit through a long, drawn-out format,\u201d he said. \u201cMemes and short clips are crucial to younger audiences, and two-way participation \u2014 likes, comments, live chat \u2014 matters far more than passive viewership ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n Viral moments outpaced award wins in attention.MEGA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n In many cases, the biggest moments of the night aren\u2019t the winners, they\u2019re the clips that spread afterward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat goes viral is often more compelling than the awards themselves,\u201d Kirshenbaum said. \u201cA big star losing \u2014 and how they react \u2014 can become the moment everyone’s talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n That dynamic played out again this year, as fashion, celebrity interactions and unscripted moments fueled online conversation. Kirshenbaum pointed to the buzz aroundAnna Wintour<\/strong><\/a> calling Anne Hathaway<\/strong><\/a> \u201cEmily\u201d as \u201cthe ideal meme tie-in\u201d for The Devil Wears Prada 2<\/em><\/a>, adding that such moments double as marketing opportunities tied to future projects.<\/p>\n \u201cFashion, gossip, and behind-the-scenes drama are taking a more prominent role than ever, and the savviest studios are leaning into that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Academy continued adapting to digital audiences.MEGA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The Academy appears to be adapting to this new reality. Kirshenbaum notes that the Oscars are reportedly considering a move to YouTube by 2029, a shift aimed at expanding global reach and offering more flexible, digital-first content.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is to combat long-format fatigue and reach a more global audience through behind-the-scenes livestreams, fashion highlights, and the kind of \u2018being there\u2019 access that creates real connection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For now, the numbers tell a clear story: fewer people may be watching the Oscars from start to finish, but more people than ever are engaging with them online.<\/p>\n Read more at OK!<\/a><\/p>\n Get OK!’s biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now<\/a>.<\/p>\n FOLLOW OK! ON WHATSAPP HERE<\/a>: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, entertainment, and pop culture via our WhatsApp channel<\/a>. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Viewership dipped to a four-year low, but online engagement surged, highlighting a major shift in how audiences experience Hollywood\u2019s biggest night.MEGA The Oscars may have drawn fewer viewers this year, but they were far from quiet. The 2026 Academy Awards pulled in 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu, down about 9 percent from last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2337693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[452829,344473,452828],"class_list":["post-2337692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-lillian-glass","tag-oscars","tag-richard-kirshenbaum"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Why-the-Oscars-Are-Losing-TV-Viewers-But-Winning-the.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2337694,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337692\/revisions\/2337694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2337693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Shift From Viewers to Participants<\/h2>\n
<\/div>
Why the TV Format Is Losing Ground<\/h2>\n
<\/div>
Viral Moments Are the Real Awards<\/h2>\n
<\/div>
A Global, Digital Future<\/h2>\n
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