• by Wayne Friedman , March 18, 2026

In line with the results of other major entertainment award shows, “The 98th Academy Awards” posted a signal-digit percentage decline -- losing 9% versus the year before to 17.86 million average viewers on ABC and Hulu, according to Nielsen.

It was the lowest result for the Academy Awards show since 2022. Last year’s total of 19.69 million was the strongest result since the 2020 pandemic year.

The “Grammys” award show this year earned 14.41 million -- down 6% (15.4 million) -- while The “Golden Globes” earned 8.66 million, also sinking 6% (9.27 million).

Walt Disney benefited from the event with major promotional time for many in-house brands -- with the most going toward Disney+, which had 12 airings on the Oscars, resulting in "media value of around $14 million, with ABC airing 27 spots for a number of programs with a total media value of $24.2 million," according to iSpot.

This included next year’s “Super Bowl LXI” to be simulcast on ABC and ESPN.

ABC's Oscar show promo included “Scrubs,” “The Bachelorette," “High Potential” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “American Idol” and “2026 NBA Finals."

In terms of movies, the Disney/Twentieth movie “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and Disney’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu” had promo time, as well as the Disney Cruise Line.

The biggest paid TV advertiser of the show was Rolex, with six airings. Burger King, Allstate, Grey Goose,Verizon, Dunkin’ and Rhapsido were next at four each.

A 30-second commercial for the Oscars was priced at an average $2 million, according to reports. One report in LatiNation said the total main broadcast generated advertising revenue close to $127 million, with $20 million coming from the red carpet pre-show.