Although streaming services have been dominating awards in the past few years, ABC and linear TV are coming out ahead at the Oscars.
During Sunday’s presentation of the 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Universal and Searchlight Pictures dominated the awards, as many streamers were left on the sidelines. However, the night truly belonged to Ryan Gosling and the Kens with a viral performance of “I’m Just Ken,” complete with a sparkly pink suit.
These moments, along with several other factors, all added up to a big night for broadcaster ABC.
Big live moments
Viewership for linear broadcasts of awards shows has largely ticked up in 2024, and Sunday’s show provided several live moments that could bring strong numbers, as the telecast looks to build on its average of 18.8 million viewers from 2023.
Kimmel opened the show with a nearly 14-minute monologue in which he took several swipes at the Academy, calling out snubs of Barbie’s Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie. When the audience clapped, Kimmel followed with, “I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her.”
The Barbie hype continued throughout the night, with Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, winning Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For,” as well as a performance from the pair.
However, as mentioned, the moment of the night belonged to Gosling, with Slash making a cameo and Margot Robbie also getting involved.
The crowd was so energetic during Gosling’s singing that Emma Stone mentioned it while accepting the award for Outstanding Lead Actress, blaming her “broken” dress on the “I’m Just Ken” performance.
Becky G, Scott George and the Osage Singers and Jon Batiste also performed at the ceremony, and Kimmel had a literal show-stopper by calling out Donald Trump for a social media post criticizing the show.