It arguably came with one of the Academy Awards greatest ever moments – when the wrong winner for picture of the year was announced – however, according to viewer figures in the US this year’s Oscars was the least watched in a decade.
Some are blaming the calibre of this year’s films and a lack of star power but according to Nielsen data only 32.9 million Americans tuned into yesterday’s cinematic trophy orgy.
The actual show was even too much for some of the attendees, with eagle-eyed viewers catching actress Chrissy Teigen asleep in the audience for large swathes of the three-plus hour telecast.
This year’s audience dropped four per cent from the 2016 Oscars, which drew 34.4 million Americans.
It’s the worst TV audience since 2008 – when No Country For Old Men took best picture – and had 32 million viewers.
That said, the Oscars are typically the most watched non-sporting event in the US. The Super Bowl is the most watched and usually draws around the 110 million-mark.
But as Reuters reports, both this year’s Grammys and Golden Globe Awards had significantly higher audiences than 12 months ago.
