There's good news and bad news when it comes to the ratings for Sunday night's Oscars telecast.
First, the good: the telecast saw a 56% jump in viewership from last year, according to Nielsen numbers quoted by Variety. Some 15.36 million people watched the show, which was hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall.
That said, that audience is the second-least-watched and second-lowest-rated Academy Awards in history, the trade explains. That's the bad news.
By comparison, the 2019 broadcast, the Oscars' first host-free event, drew 29.6 million viewers.
1998's Academy Awards telecast, which saw Titanic win Best Picture, was the highest rated in history: It drew 55.3 million viewers.
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