Last Sunday the outcome of the television phenomenon of the moment and the delivery number 95 of the Academy Awards were combined. The clash between the Oscars and the season finale of The Last of Us raised many concerns regarding the ratings and audience levels.
Although, in the United States, the Oscars are classified as the second most important broadcast of the year —just behind the Super Bowl—, in recent years its power has certainly diminished. In 2021, the great movie festival achieved its lowest audience records with just 10.5 million viewers.
The arrival of a series like The Last of Us worried analysts. The Sunday to Sunday program secured its numbers and raised them with each new broadcast. So no one was more nervous than ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. However, despite the encounter, the two broadcasts managed to surpass their own numbers.
The 2023 Oscars delivery exceeded its audience levels for the second consecutive year (via). Its 12% increase over the previous year translated into an average of 18.7 million viewers. During the 2022 installment, even Will Smith’s punch to Chris Rock didn’t get the numbers higher than 16.6 million.
Perhaps the public expected to find some new controversy; Or maybe the whole world just embraced the success of Everything everywhere at the same time and he made an appointment to see him crown last night. The Daniels-directed film took home 7 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
and the end of The Last of Us?
Joel and Ellie’s path came to a head with the season finale of HBO’s hit series. Its ninth episode did not give up on the threat of the Oscars and kept its promise to air like every Sunday. He came out of the fight unscathed and also reached a new record.
According to the data reported by Nielsen and other data from Warner Bros. Discovery itself (via), episode 9 of the series was the most watched so far. The show ended its season with 8.1 million viewers. The increase is significant, considering that its first episode started the streak with 4.7 million viewers. This is the biggest start for any HBO series.
In the past few weeks, only one episode decided to reschedule its broadcast day. The fifth chapter was released two days earlier, on a Friday, to avoid running into the 57th edition of the Super Bowl. That episode ended with a rating of 11.6 million people, but counted from Friday and throughout the weekend.
HBO also reported that the first 8 episodes of The Last of Us They already have an average of 30.4 million viewers. The data is counted between the audience levels of its pay television channel and the reproductions of the HBO Max platform.
By the way, the channel has already announced its renewal for a second season. The date is still uncertain, but certainly all viewers are eagerly awaiting the return to the screen of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay.
What did you think of the season finale of The Last of Us And the prizes distributed at the Oscars? You can read more about the golden statuette ceremony by clicking here.
Luis Angel H. Mora My most stable relationship is with the movies, parties and music. I love writing about cinema, meeting new people and sharing ideas. Idealistic in every way, I guess that’s my Ascendant Aquarian trait.