Chris Pizzello/Invision / AP
Bradley Cooper, right, congratulates Lady Gaga in the audience after she is announced winner for best original song for “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Monday, Feb. 25, 2019 | 12:36 p.m.
NEW YORK — The Nielsen company says ABC's telecast of the Academy Awards reached 29.6 million viewers, a 12 percent bump from last year's record low ratings.
Last year's show was seen by only 26.5 million people, a development that caused much hand-wringing at ABC and the motion picture academy. This year's show went without a host after Kevin Hart backed out.
While an immediate relief, the Oscars had never before dipped below 30 million viewers before last year. So it makes this year's telecast the second least-watched show ever.
ABC also said Monday that its preview of the drama "Whiskey Cavalier" was seen by 4.2 million people after the Oscars ended.
