Few things in recent years have been as brutally depressing as the post-Academy Awards viewership tally: The Oscars used to be a rock-solid American institution and now it is absolutely hemorrhaging viewers year after year.

This year was no exception:

Mere minutes after fast-affiliate data for the 94th Academy Awards was out, the Disney-owned net that pays tens of millions a year to broadcast Hollywood's biggest but stumbling night was out with the adjusted fast nationals.

Moving up a bit from the preliminary data, the 2022 Oscars now is estimated to have had 15.4 million viewers and snagged a rating of 2.9 among adults 18-49.

Apples to apples with the same metrics, that's a 56% increase in audience over last year and 68% in the important demo. However, even with what looks like big leaps over 2021, the 2022 Oscars are still the second-lowest in history.

Man... how do you think it feels to be an Academy member, to put so much time and work and effort into this ceremony, only to have absolutely nobody watch it?

I bet it feels like... oh man, should I do it? Should I?

Okay I'm gonna do it.

I bet it feels like a slap in the face!

I couldn't resist that, folks. Come on.

Anyway, just to put it in perspective, the Oscars regularly used to clinch tens of millions of viewers every year. From the 1980s well into the 2000s it was not uncommon for the show to crack 40 million. Now...

Just look at that decline. It was rather gradual for about 35 years and then it just started to plummet right about 2014 and it hasn't stopped. Even Will Smith slapping a man on live TV couldn't save it.

Sorry you didn't break your all-time low record this year, Academy. Maybe in 2023!

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