The 91st annual Academy Awards might not have had a host, but they did manage to fair better with viewing audiences than last year. According to Deadline, viewership was up by roughly 14.3% over last year when Jimmy Kimmel served as Master of Ceremonies for the second time. While that’s definitely an improvement, last year’s show had the lowest ratings of any Oscars telecast in recent years.
This also marks the first time Oscar ratings have gone up in ratings in recent years, which could put it about on par with the night Jon Stewart hosted in 2008 — which itself was a sharp decline in viewers from the year prior. For some context: going back to 2001, most Oscars telecasts hover around the 40 million mark. Last year, they dipped to about 26.5 million. When Stewart hosted in 2008, they were around 32 million, down from 40 million the year prior.
RELATED: The 2019 Oscar Winners List!
Not all markets have reported their ratings as of this morning, and while those that have are still on the lower end of things, the numbers are definitely an improvement. Especially considering that between the season finale of HBO’s True Detective and a new episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead (which is still the highest-rated show on cable despite its own declining viewership numbers), there was some serious Sunday night competition for viewers’ attention.
Aside from the ratings, it was a tumultuous year for the mother of all movie awards shows. After initially signing Kevin Hart to host, the comedian dropped out (due to controversial tweets, naturally), and the show proceeded without a host for the first time in almost 30 years. The show also had some bad PR thanks to its bad calls in announcing some awards would be given out during commercial breaks and that only two of the five Best Song nominees would be performed. It later reversed both of those decisions.
91st Oscars Red Carpet
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Diego Luna attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Laura Harrier attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Director Spike Lee attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Emilia Clarke attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Michelle Yeoh attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Amandla Stenberg attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: (L-R) Elaine Welteroth and Maria Menounos attend the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Elsie Fisher attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: (L-R) Director Jon M. Chu and Constance Wu attend the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) -
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Best Supporting Actress nominee for "The Favourite" Emma Stone arrives for the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) -
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Actress Tessa Thompson arrives for the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Awkwafina attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Octavia Spencer attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Henry Golding attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Henry Golding attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Angela Bassett attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Jennifer Hudson attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Tina Fey attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Nicholas Hoult attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Sam Elliott attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Allison Janney attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Brie Larson attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: (L-R) Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb attend the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Laura Dern attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: (L-R) Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet attend the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Danai Gurira attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Letitia Wright attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Lady Gaga attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Olivia Colman attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
