(Reuters) – Roughly 15.36 million people watched Sunday’s live Academy Awards broadcast on Walt Disney Co’s ABC network, according to preliminary ratings data released on Monday.
The figure rose from last year’s broadcast which had 9.85 million total viewers, ABC said.
TV viewership of awards ceremonies has dropped in recent years. Oscars producers tried a new format this year with three hosts and less time allotted to awards for sound mixing and other film craft categories.
(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
