The ceremony, broadcast on ABC, drew 32.9 million viewers, the second-lowest total since Nielsen started tracking viewership in 1974. This is the third straight year of declining viewership for the show, and the ratings hit is a significant one: In the last three years, the Oscars have shed more than 10 million viewers. The only Oscars broadcast to fare worse was the 2008 show, which had 32 million viewers and aired shortly after a writers’ strike had ended. Still, like the Super Bowl in early February — which featured its own heart-stopping conclusion — the Oscars had its viewership fall. On Sunday night, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco were among the top five markets to watch the Oscars, according to Nielsen.

Source: New York Times February 27, 2017 22:18 UTC