Oscars with record low viewing figures

 This year's Oscars were a flop for US television: viewer ratings fell to a record low. 32 million Americans watched the live broadcast of the gala from Hollywood. According to the media research institute Nielsen Media Research, this represents a 25 percent drop compared to last year's 40 million viewers. Observers attribute the record low to the fact that most of the nominated films were not box office hits. In addition, the months-long strike by screenwriters in the run-up to the Oscars meant that there were fewer programs in which the drum could be beaten for the Oscars.
Nevertheless, the broadcaster responsible, ABC, made a good profit. According to the industry magazine Variety, each 30-second commercial brought in the equivalent of around 1.96 million francs.