Michelle Williams on the red carpet of the Oscars Photo: Matt Petit/Zuma PressThe high drama of a botched revelation of the best picture award wasn’t enough to save the Oscars from the continuing decline in awards show ratings. About 32.9 million viewers tuned in to the Academy Awards on ABC on Sunday night, down 4.4% from 34.4 million last year, according to preliminary Nielsen data released by the Walt Disney Co. -owned network. The show, which was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, was the least-watched Oscars ceremony since 2008, when “No Country for Old Men” won best picture and 32 million viewers tuned in. The 89th Academy Awards ran for more than 3 ½ hours but will likely be remembered for its chaotic final moments. The network didn’t specify how much of the activity stemmed from the best picture controversy.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 27, 2017 21:36 UTC