As more viewers have been moving away from traditional cable in recent years, Disney-owned ABC looked to offer Oscars fans with a standalone streaming option on Hulu for the 97th Academy Awards. There was just one problem: Hulu crashed right as the show was set to start.
The ratings for the 97th Academy Awards declined by over 7% from last year’s Oscars telecast, which drew 19.5 million viewers.
The 97th Academy Awards telecast over the weekend netted the show 19.69 million viewers, a five-year high for the program, thanks to people using personal computers and mobile devices.
After the audience laughed and applauded, Culkin continued, saying, “I just have this to say to you, Jazz, love of my life, ye of little faith — no pressure, I love you, I’m really sorry I did this again, and let’s get cracking on those kids."
The 97th Academy Awards will kick off Sunday evening to celebrate the best movies of 2024 along with the people behind them.