Conan's 2026 Oscars took a ratings flop. Why was viewership down?

Oscars viewership was down this year, dipping 9% to 17.9m viewers. That surprised me a little at first, but it appears that the other classic American pastime may have been responsible, with The World Baseball Classic scheduled against the telecast.

7.4m viewers watched the game between the United States and the Dominican Republic, eating into the audien…