The 90th annual Academy Awards which lasted for almost four hours last Sunday had a 20 percent drop in ratings compared to last year’s show which garnered around 32.9 million viewers.

According to the official tally from Nielsen, the average viewership this year was only 26.5 million, making it the lowest in history since it started tracking the Oscars in 1974. The highest viewership in the last 10 years with an estimated 43.7 million viewers was in 2014 when Ellen DeGeneres hosted the show and 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture. Since then, the ratings and viewership on Hollywood’s most glamorous evening has significantly declined.

Several factors have been mentioned as to why the ratings and viewership have hit an all time low. One of those reasons is that this year’s Oscars featured only a few blockbuster films with Dunkirk ($525 million) and Get Out ($255 million) being the the highest grossing among the primary nominees.

Over the years, the change in TV viewing habits has also created an impact with TV ratings and viewership. Since Nielsen does not take note of digital and mobile viewership, those who prefer watching the show on their mobile devices, streaming applications, or on social media are not included in the count.

But the Academy Awards is not the only show that’s been affected by low viewership and a decline in TV ratings. Ratings for live broadcasts for other awards shows – like the Grammy’s and Golden Globes – have been steadily dwindled in the last few years.

One explanation for the drop could be that Awards shows have been “too political” for audiences in recent years, with more A-listers bringing to light social and political issues such as the Me Too movement and the Time’s Up movement. ABC executives were quick to publicly announce to nominees before the show to keep their speeches light and fun.

These are the final viewership totals for the last 5 Academy Awards:

2018 26.5 million

2017 32.9 million

2016 34.4 million

2015 37.3 million

2014 43.7 million

With the low ratings and viewership the Oscars has had over the past couple of years, will it still be able to reclaim its former glory?

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