The 94th edition of the awards show attracted 15.4 million viewers and a 3.2 ratting among adults between 18 and 49 years old, who are key to advertisers, according to a preliminary report from Nielsen TV Ratings Services released on Monday.
The telecast took a bizarre turn more than two hours in, when Will Smith strode onstage and slapped Chris Rock in the face for telling a joke about his wife. Mr. Smith then returned to his seat, and less than an hour later, he won the best actor prize.
The early data did not indicate whether there was a surge in viewership after the slap, which immediately ricocheted around the internet.
Organizers have been desperate to reverse a yearslong ratings slide for the Oscars, which saw viewership last year plummet 58 percent.
The broadcast hit its peak in 1998, when 55.2 million viewers tuned in to watch “Titanic” sweep the awards, and has struggled to retain its cultural relevance since.
Packer, and his team, was brought in to help fix the ratings dip, and revive the show. Sunday's show was one of the most diverse in the Academy's long history.