Changes to format and high-profile moments like the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident fail to fully revive viewership.
The 2022 Oscars experienced a significant boost in viewership, with ratings increasing by 50% from the previous year. The telecast attracted 15.36 million viewers, marking a 56% improvement over the 2021 ceremony’s all-time low of 10.4 million. However, despite the rise, the Oscars remain far below pre-pandemic viewership levels, making the 2022 ceremony the second least-watched in its history.
In an attempt to bring back viewers, the Academy made several changes to the format. For the first time since 2018, the ceremony featured a trio of hosts: Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall. Producers also made the controversial decision to cut eight technical categories from the live broadcast, though clips of each were shown during the ceremony. Additionally, fan voting was introduced for top film and movie moments via Twitter, aiming to create more audience engagement.
Despite these efforts, the show still struggled to surpass 20 million viewers—a threshold the Oscars had never fallen below until last year. For comparison, the 2020 ceremony saw 23.6 million viewers, and the 2019 show garnered 29.6 million.
The most talked-about moment of the evening was Will Smith’s altercation with Chris Rock, which occurred after a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident went viral, dominating social media, although the peak of viewership had already passed by the time it occurred.
The night also saw notable wins, including Coda taking home Best Picture, and Jessica Chastain winning Best Actress for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
