Oscars season always brings a flurry of interest in critically acclaimed films and this year was no exception. Samba TV's comprehensive insights captured the complete viewing journey before nominations, during campaign season, and after the winners took home gold.

Dig in below to learn more about the effect of the "Oscar bump" in this increasingly competitive streaming landscape.

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Pre-Oscars: Audience anticipation builds

As Oscars night approached, audiences were eagerly catching up on the nominated films. Interestingly, the three films that dominated viewership among Best Picture nominees during the weekend leading up to the ceremony (February 28 - March 2) were not the ones ultimately scoring major wins. A Complete Unknown led with 182k U.S. household views, followed by Conclave (149k), and Dune: Part Two (104k). The strong performance of A Complete Unknown was likely boosted by its VOD release just days before on February 25, making it accessible to audiences.

Anora – which would go on to win Best Picture – showed particularly strong regional appeal in Los Angeles, over-indexing by 180%. This concentration of viewership in Los Angeles is notable given that many Academy members live in that area, perhaps foreshadowing its eventual Best Picture win.

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The main event: Oscars viewership analysis

The 2025 Academy Awards broadcast on ABC attracted 13.1M U.S. households. This was a 49% increase from 2021 levels and a 13% spike from 2022. However, viewership was slightly down by 2% compared to 2023 and by 4% compared to 2024.

A demographic analysis of the main event revealed that the Oscars audience skewed older and more affluent. Households with adults aged 65-74 over-indexed by 15%, while households with adults who are 75 and up over-indexed by 21%. High-income households showed particularly strong engagement, with the $200k+ income bracket over-indexing by 31%. These trends were consistent with 2024, indicating that the Oscars audience has been and remains on the older and more affluent side. 

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Post-Oscars boost: The winner effect

The week following the Oscars (March 2-9) saw substantial shifts in viewership patterns as audiences rushed to watch the winners and nominees. Dune: Part Two led with 337k views (impacted by availability on both linear TV and streaming), followed by Best Picture winner Anora with 301k views, and Conclave with 231k views.

Anora's Best Picture win translated into a remarkable post-Oscar surge, with 57% of its total viewership between nomination announcements and March 9 occurring after the awards ceremony. By comparison, other major winners saw varying degrees of post-Oscar bumps. The Brutalist (Best Actor) saw 38% of its total viewership post-Oscars, while A Real Pain (Best Supporting Actor) saw 23%, and Emilia Pérez (Best Supporting Actress) saw 18%.

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Demographic insights: Who watched what

Samba TV data reveals distinct audience profiles for the major winners. Anora attracted a younger, more diverse audience following its Best Picture win. It over-indexed in viewership among Asian households by 32%, Hispanic households by 3%, and with Gen Z households 14%. It was also popular with affluent viewers, over-indexing by 60% among households within the $200k+ income group.

Conclave appealed primarily to older, white audiences. Adults aged 65-74 over-indexed by 16%, while adults who are 75+ over-indexed by 14%. White households over-indexed by 10%, while the film under-indexed among Black, Hispanic, and Asian households.

Emilia Pérez stood out as the only Best Picture nominee with strong cross-generational appeal. It over-indexed by 30% among Gen Z (adults aged 20-24), by 3% among younger millennials (adults aged 25-34), and by 7% among older millennials (adults aged 35-44).

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Accessibility matters: The impact of distribution strategy

Distribution strategies and pricing played a major role in driving viewership between nomination announcements and post-awards. Of the films that won major awards, the most viewed was A Real Pain (772k U.S. household views), impacted by its availability on both Hulu and as a $5.99 VOD option. Emilia Pérez followed with 658k U.S. household views, benefiting from its availability on Netflix, followed by Anora (529k) which was available only as a $5.99 VOD purchase. The Brutalist saw the lowest viewership at 255k U.S. households, impacted by its $19.99 VOD-only price point.

This year's Oscar season once again demonstrates the awards' power to drive viewership and cultural conversation. The significant post-ceremony boost for winners like Anora confirms that Oscar recognition continues to influence audience viewing choices, while the varied demographic profiles of different films highlight the importance of diverse storytelling in reaching different audiences.