LOS ANGELES (AP) — Smaller movies didn't mean smaller viewer numbers for the Oscars. An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched Sunday night's 97th Academy Awards ceremony, the biggest audience in five years, according to figures released by ABC on Tuesday. The triumph of “Anora,” which won five Oscars including best picture, and other relatively little-seen favorites and winners still brought a lift over the 19.5 million viewers last year, when the major hit “Oppenheimer” won the top categories and the even bigger hit “Barbie” was a major presence.The Conan O'Brien-hosted telecast did have the benefit of 10 nominations for the big hit “Wicked” and an opening performance from its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The film won for its production design and costumes.The show had an especially big lift among people aged 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers. And the network said it was the most watched primetime entertainment show of 2025.Still, the upward trend comes from an all…

Smaller movies didn’t mean smaller viewer numbers for the Oscars.