Oscar ratings fall 9% in Conan O’Brien’s second year hosting

The 98th Oscars hosted by Conan O'Brien saw a dip in ratings after several years of gains. The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday said that just under 17.9 million viewers tuned into Sunday’s show, which aired live on ABC and was streamed on Hulu.

The ratings are down 9% from last year’s post-pandemic high of 19.7 million viewers who tuned in for O'Brien's inaugural year as host, when “Anora” swept the awards. The show also yielded a more significant 14% decline from last year in viewership from adults aged 18-49.

Sunday’s Oscars saw a showdown between two Warner Bros. films, “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” with the former winning best picture and director. Michael B. Jordan won best actor for “Sinners,” the most nominated film in history, with 16, that also broke the record for the most losses by a single film, with 12.

And yet despite the dip in audience, the Oscars are still the No. 1 primetime entertainment telecast of the 2025-2026 season. The Golden Globes, which aired on CBS in January, drew an audience of 8.7 million viewers which was itself down 7% from the year prior.

Engagement for the Oscars rose by other metrics, though. Primetime social impressions went up over 42% this year. And there were over 129 million video views on Academy social platforms throughout the night.

The Oscars, like many other awards shows, saw an all-time low in 2021 during the pandemic with only 10.4 million viewers. At its height in the 1990s it often attracted around 45 million viewers. Its peak came in 1998, when “Titanic” won best picture and 57.2 million people watched.

Broadcast ratings will no longer be a metric of the success for the Oscars in 2029, when the show moves to YouTube for its 101st awards.

Michael B. Jordan, left, winner of the award for actor in a leading role for "Sinners," and Ryan Coogler, winner of the award for writing (original screenplay) for "Sinners," pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Anthony Carlino, from left, Alana Haim, Will Weiske, Florencia Martin, Andy Jurgensen, Shayna McHale, Reginal Hall, Teyana Taylor, Cassandra Kulukundis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Tony Villaflor, Christopher Scarabosio, Jose Antonio Garcia, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Sara Murphy accept the award for best picture for "One Battle After Another" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Host Conan O'Brien performs during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Host Conan O'Brien appears during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

MIAMI (AP) — After nearly getting eliminated in the group stage last week, the United States plays Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic championship on Tuesday night in a game with political overtones.

Aaron Judge, Roman Anthony and Kyle Schwarber lead a U.S. lineup seeking to win the Americans' second title and first title since 2017.

“Putting U.S. on your chest and going out there and competing obviously means the world,” said Nolan McLean, a 24-year-old rookie pitcher who starts for the U.S. against Eduardo Rodríguez.

Venezuela, headed by All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez, seeks it first championship in the sixth edition of an event that launched in 2006. Miami and its suburbs have a large Venezuelan population, and the team has had a festive fan presence at loanDepot park.

“As Venezuelan players, we are playing for our country,” Garcia said after Monday night's 4-2 semifinal win over Italy. “And, of course, putting Latin America in a high position, showing that we have great baseball, we have great talent.”

Players and coaches avoided discussing the political turmoil between the U.S. and Venezuela, heightened since the U.S. military captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in January.

“We’re here to speak baseball,” Acuña said. “Our country deserves the game tomorrow.”

U.S. President Donald Trump referenced Venezuela's tournament advancement in a social media post, writing: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?"

Venezuela upset three-time winner Japan 8-5 on Saturday to reach its first semifinal since losing to South Korea in 2009.

“This is the responsibility that I take to give joy to my country,” manager Omar López said. “It was the dream that I shared with everyone, to be in this situation.”

Mark DeRosa is managing the U.S. in the tournament for the second time after losing 3-2 to Japan in the 2023 final, a game that memorably ended with Shohei Ohtani striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout. The Americans beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday on homers by Gunnar Henderson and Anthony to reach the championship.

“I feel like we haven’t played our complete game yet,” Henderson said.

This story was updated to correct that Venezuela beat Japan in the quarterfinals, not the semifinals.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

A USA fan shakes hands with a Dominican Republic fan before a World Baseball Classic semifinal game between the teams, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

United States' Gunnar Henderson (11) celebrates his home run during the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Venezuela fans cheer the team during the sixth inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against Italy, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

United States' Aaron Judge celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Mexico, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Venezuela team celebrates after defeating Italy at a World Baseball Classic semifinal game, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)