Some 32.9 million US viewers watched the ceremony, a 4% drop from the 2016 Oscars which drew 34.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data released on Monday by ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. The 2008 Oscars averaged 32 million viewers.
The awards ceremony went a few minutes past midnight on the East Coast and ended in controversy when La La Land was mistakenly named best picture winner after presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope. The actual winner, announced minutes later, was Moonlight.
The chaotic and heart-stopping finale made for great television, but came too late to help ratings.
