The 93rd Academy Awards drew a record-low 10.4 million viewers and was delayed by COVID-19, with Nomadland taking Best Picture.
Key Facts
- Best Picture winner
- Nomadland
- Ceremony date
- April 25, 2021
- Awards categories
- 23
- TV viewership
- 10.4 million (record low since 1974)
- Venue
- Union Station, Los Angeles
- Eligible film period
- January 1, 2020 – February 28, 2021
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to postpone the ceremony from its customary late-February date and expand the eligibility window to include films released through February 28, 2021, accommodating a disrupted film release calendar.
On April 25, 2021, the 93rd Academy Awards were held at Union Station in Los Angeles, produced by Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh and directed by Glenn Weiss. Nomadland led the evening with three wins including Best Picture, while several other films each took two awards across 23 competitive categories.
The telecast drew largely negative critical reviews and attracted only 10.4 million viewers, making it the least-watched Oscar broadcast since viewership tracking began with the 46th ceremony in 1974, intensifying broader industry concerns about the declining television audience for awards programming.