For the most recent Oscars, around 19–20 million people watched the live telecast in the U.S., depending on whether you include delayed and streaming viewing.

Quick Scoop

  • The 2025 ceremony (the 97th Oscars) drew about 19.7 million viewers in updated Nielsen ratings, marking a small uptick (about 1%) from the previous year.
  • Earlier fast-national estimates put the audience closer to 18 million before mobile and additional streaming viewing were fully counted.
  • When Disney and ABC folded in more streaming and device data (ABC + Hulu + mobile/PC), they reported roughly 19.69 million viewers.
  • That total is considered a five‑year high for the Oscars, even though it’s far below the 30–40+ million viewers the show used to attract a decade ago.

A bit of context and trend

  • Viewership has been on a long, decades‑scale decline, with some recent year‑to‑year bumps that look positive in headlines (“five‑year high”) but still sit well under historic peaks.
  • Even at ~19–20 million, the Oscars remain the most‑watched non‑sports entertainment broadcast of the TV season in the U.S.

So if you’re wondering “how many people watch the Oscars” today, the short, realistic answer is: roughly 20 million Americans tune in, give or take a million, depending on how streaming and delayed viewing are counted.

TL;DR: In recent years, about 19–20 million people in the U.S. watch the Oscars telecast, which is a modern five‑year high but far below the show’s older, pre‑streaming era numbers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.