By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, May 12 (Reuters) – Comedian Conan O’Brien will return to host the Academy Awards in 2027 for a third straight year, broadcaster ABC said on Tuesday, after the former late-night TV host drew positive reviews and helped lift Oscars viewership from pandemic‑era lows.
Viewership for the Oscars telecast reached a five-year high in 2025 with 19.7 million viewers when O’Brien hosted for the first time. The audience dropped to 17.9 million this year, according to ratings data from Nielsen.
ABC announced O’Brien’s return during a Walt Disney presentation to advertisers in New York. Disney owns ABC and Hulu, which will stream the next Oscars ceremony in March.
The 63-year-old O’Brien, an Emmy-winning comedian, is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.” He currently hosts the HBO Max travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go” and the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”
Viewership for awards shows has been declining for years as TV audiences have shifted to streaming and social media. The ceremony hit a low point in 2021 with roughly 9.5 million viewers.
The Oscars show will move to YouTube in 2029.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Howard Goller)
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