TV ratings for Sunday's Oscars rise to 18.7 million

This year's ceremony celebrated a rebound in moviegoing as several of the nominees were blockbuster hits at cinemas. Multiverse adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" took home best picture and dominated the awards. Viewership of the Oscars and many awards ceremonies has dropped in recent years as many viewers have ditched traditional television for streaming and social media.

The Academy Awards telecast on Sunday attracted roughly 18.7 million U.S. television viewers to the film industry's highest honors, according to data released by Walt Disney Co broadcaster ABC on Monday.

The audience rose 12% from last year, when 16.7 million people tuned in, ABC said. At that show, Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock before later winning best actor. This year's ceremony celebrated a rebound in moviegoing as several of the nominees were blockbuster hits at cinemas. Multiverse adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" took home best picture and dominated the awards.

Viewership of the Oscars and many awards ceremonies has dropped in recent years as many viewers have ditched traditional television for streaming and social media. This year's nominees included several blockbuster movies, including "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Top Gun: Maverick."