Sunday Ratings: The Oscars on ABC Sink to New Record Low; Second Time to Dip Below Grammys in Adults 18-49

The 92nd Academy Awards made history on Sunday night as “Parasite” won four Oscars and became the first non-English language film to ever win Best Picture honors.

History was also made on the television side but dubiously so, as the ceremony on the ABC network reached a new record-low audience of 23.6 million viewers, based on Nielsen’s Live + Same Day Fast National ratings. It fell 6 million from last year’s Oscars which also was without a host but featured music superstar Lady Gaga, the band Queen and “Black Panther” as a Best Picture contender (“Green Book” wound up earning the Best Picture prize instead). The previous audience low was 26.6 million viewers back in 2018 (“The Shape of Water” had won Best Picture then; Jimmy Kimmel had hosted for the second consecutive year.)

The Oscars on ABC also delivered a 5.3 rating in Adults 18-49, marking the second time in TV history that the Grammy Awards on CBS (posted a 5.4 rating in Adults 18-49 from Jan. 26, 2020) has out-rated ABC’s Academy Awards based on the key Adults 18-49 demographic within the same awards season. The first time was in 2012 when the Grammys (14.1) took place the night after Whitney Houston had passed away; the Oscars delivered a 11.7.

Some positive notes:

The Oscars remain as the most-watched award show on television in total viewers. It was also TV’s most-watched entertainment special in 1 year – since last year’s “Oscars” telecast (Feb. 24, 2019), also on ABC.

ABC notes that “The Oscars” dominated Sunday night’s social conversation with 20.6 million total social interactions (Twitter: 67 percent, Instagram: 26 percent and Facebook: 6 percent). Social activity was up 16 percent from 2019 across comparable metrics (Total Twitter, Facebook Owned and Instagram Owned).

What follows are the fast affiliate results for Sunday, February 9. These results are time period based and are only approximate.

Note: ABC was earlier excluded from the fast affiliate ratings, due to the Oscars.

• Households (rating / share):
  CBS: 2.7 rating/ 5 share, NBC: 1.3/ 2, Fox: 0.6/ 1, CW: 0.3/ 0

• Total Viewers (in millions):
  CBS: 4.27 million, NBC: 2.13, Fox: 0.98, CW: 0.40

• Adults 18-49 (rating / share):
  CBS and NBC: 0.4 rating/ 2 share each, Fox: 0.3/ 1, CW: 0.1/ 0

• Adults 18-34 (rating / share):
  CBS: 0.2 rating/ 2 share, NBC and Fox: 0.2/ 1 each, CW: 0.1/ 0

• Adults 25-54 (rating / share):
  CBS: 0.7 rating/ 2 share, NBC: 0.5/ 2, Fox: 0.4/ 1, CW: 0.1/ 0

7:00 PM

CBS — 60 Minutes
Households: 3.7/7 (#1)
Viewers: 5.91 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.5/3 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.8/3 (#1)

NBC — America’s Got Talent: The Champions (repeat)
Households: 1.5/3 (#2)
Viewers: 2.55 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.3/1 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.1/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — Last Man Standing (repeat)
Households: 0.7/1 (#3)
Viewers: 1.06 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.2/1 (#3),
Adults 18-34: 0.1/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.3/1 (#3)

7:30 PM

CBS — 60 Minutes
Households: 3.6/7 (#1)
Viewers: 5.79 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.6/3 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.9/3 (#1)

NBC — America’s Got Talent: The Champions (repeat)
Households: 1.4/3 (#2)
Viewers: 2.47 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.3/1 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — Outmatched (repeat)
Households: 0.5/1 (#3)
Viewers: 0.80 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.2/1 (#3),
Adults 18-34: 0.1/1 (#3), Adults 25-54: 0.3/1 (#3)

8:00 PM

CBS — NCIS (repeat)
Households: 2.5/5 (#1)
Viewers: 3.97 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.6/2 (#1)

NBC — America’s Got Talent: The Champions (repeat)
Households: 1.4/3 (#2)
Viewers: 2.49 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.3/1 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — The Simpsons (repeat)
Households: 0.6/1 (#3)
Viewers: 0.95 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.3/2 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.4/1 (#3)

CW — Batwoman (repeat)
Households: 0.3/1 (#4)
Viewers: 0.47 million (#4), Adults 18-49: 0.1/0 (#4),
Adults 18-34: 0.1/0 (#4), Adults 25-54: 0.1/0 (#4)

8:30 PM

CBS — NCIS (repeat)
Households: 2.5/5 (#1)
Viewers: 3.92 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.6/2 (#1)

NBC — America’s Got Talent: The Champions (repeat)
Households: 1.5/3 (#2)
Viewers: 2.63 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.6/2 (#1)

Fox — Bob’s Burgers (repeat)
Households: 0.6/1 (#3)
Viewers: 0.95 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#3)

CW — Batwoman (repeat)
Households: 0.3/0 (#4)
Viewers: 0.41 million (#4), Adults 18-49: 0.1/0 (#4),
Adults 18-34: 0.0/0 (#4), Adults 25-54: 0.1/0 (#4)

9:00 PM

CBS — FBI (repeat)
Households: 2.6/5 (#1)
Viewers: 4.07 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.7/2 (#1)

NBC — Ellen’s Game of Games (repeat)
Households: 1.0/2 (#2)
Viewers: 1.78 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — Family Guy (repeat)
Households: 0.7/1 (#3)
Viewers: 1.03 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

CW — Supergirl (repeat)
Households: 0.2/0 (#4)
Viewers: 0.35 million (#4), Adults 18-49: 0.1/0 (#4),
Adults 18-34: 0.0/0 (#4), Adults 25-54: 0.1/0 (#4)

9:30 PM

CBS — FBI (repeat)
Households: 2.6/5 (#1)
Viewers: 4.08 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.7/2 (#1)

NBC — Ellen’s Game of Games (repeat)
Households: 1.1/2 (#2)
Viewers: 1.80 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — Family Guy (repeat)
Households: 0.7/1 (#3)
Viewers: 1.10 million (#3), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#2), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

CW — Supergirl (repeat)
Households: 0.2/0 (#4)
Viewers: 0.37 million (#4), Adults 18-49: 0.1/0 (#4),
Adults 18-34: 0.1/0 (#4), Adults 25-54: 0.1/0 (#4)

10:00 PM

CBS — NCIS: New Orleans (repeat)
Households: 2.1/4 (#1)
Viewers: 3.25 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.3/2 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.6/2 (#1)

NBC — Ellen’s Game of Games (repeat)
Households: 1.0/2 (#2)
Viewers: 1.59 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#2)

Fox — Local Programming
Households: 1.8/4
Viewers: 2.73 million, Adults 18-49: 0.5/3,
Adults 18-34: 0.3/2, Adults 25-54: 0.7/3

CW — Local Programming
Households: 0.5/1
Viewers: 0.74 million, Adults 18-49: 0.2/1,
Adults 18-34: 0.1/1, Adults 25-54: 0.2/1

10:30 PM

CBS — NCIS: New Orleans (repeat)
Households: 2.1/5 (#1)
Viewers: 3.20 million (#1), Adults 18-49: 0.3/2 (#2),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#1)

NBC — Ellen’s Game of Games (repeat)
Households: 1.1/2 (#2)
Viewers: 1.77 million (#2), Adults 18-49: 0.4/2 (#1),
Adults 18-34: 0.2/1 (#1), Adults 25-54: 0.5/2 (#1)

Fox — Local Programming
Households: 1.4/3
Viewers: 2.08 million, Adults 18-49: 0.4/2,
Adults 18-34: 0.2/2, Adults 25-54: 0.6/2

CW — Local Programming
Households: 0.3/1
Viewers: 0.55 million, Adults 18-49: 0.1/1,
Adults 18-34: 0.1/1, Adults 25-54: 0.2/1

Source: Nielsen Media Research