Los Angeles — The Oscars dropped nearly 8% to 18 million viewers Sunday, the first year-to-year decline for the ABC telecast since 2021. The decrease is hardly a shock, as the majority of this year's Oscars contenders were not box office hits, including "Anora," which won for best picture and four other trophies.

The 2025 edition of the Oscars drew a smaller total audience than a year ago - but posted gains among younger viewers. Sunday's telecast, hosted by Conan O'Brien, averaged 18.07 million viewers on ABC and Hulu,