Here’s a plot twist: After initial numbers showed the 2025 edition of the Oscars running behind last year’s TV audience, final figures have moved the show ahead of the 2024 telecast — and to a five-year high in several measures.

Sunday’s telecast, hosted by Conan O’Brien, averaged 19.69 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, according to Nielsen’s final same-day ratings (which includes the streaming audience on Hulu). The show marked the first time the Academy Awards were live streamed, though Hulu suffered a number of technical glitches during the evening, including cutting off the final two awards of the night for some users.

The final figure is a sizable adjustment up from the initially reported 18.07 million viewers, and it’s attributable largely to viewing on digital devices — i.e., mobile phones and tablets — that isn’t captured in Nielsen’s fast national reporting. The 19.69 million viewers is about 200,000 more than the 19.49 million for the 2024 Oscars and is the largest audience in five years. The 2020 Oscars, the final awards of the pre-pandemic era, drew 23.64 million viewers.

Sunday’s telecast also posted gains among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, hitting post-pandemic highs in both demographics. The show posted a 4.54 rating (equivalent to about 6.08 million people) among adults 18-49, up 19 percent from 3.82 a year ago. Among adults 18-34, the Oscars scored a 3.9 rating (equivalent to about 2.8 million viewers in that age range), a 28 percent improvement year to year.

As is usually the case, the Oscars is the most watched awards show of the season to date, beating out the 15.4 million viewers for the Grammys a month ago. It also topped the Grammys’ 3.91 rating among adults 18-49. The telecast is also the largest primetime entertainment show (i.e., excluding sports) on broadcast TV in 2024-25, again taking the lead from the Grammys.

On social media, the Oscars recorded some 104.2 million social interactions, according to Talkwalker’s Social Content Ratings. That’s the most for any TV program so far this season, edging out the 102.2 million interactions during the Grammys.

March 4, 11:15 a.m. Updated throughout with final ratings figures.

This story was initially published at 5:55 p.m. PT March 3.