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The Oscars Got a Barbenheimer Ratings Boost

The show had its highest numbers in four years, pulling in nearly 20 million viewers.

Thanks to a big Barbenheimer boost — and a ton of viral social-media moments — the 2024 Oscars scored a post-pandemic high of 19.5 million viewers Sunday night on ABC, per preliminary Nielsen data. The number of homes using television traditionally takes a big hit when the time change occurs, as the combination of more daylight (and usually nicer March weather) gives folks an excuse to stay outside a bit later, rather than huddling in front of the TV set. Indeed, this year, that upside helped offset the other two wrinkles in (start) time: The show’s final half-hour was its most watched, with 21.9 million viewers tuning in to see Al Pacino casually announce that Oppenheimer had won best picture.

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