Oscars draw
most viewers in five years
ABC special averages 41.3 million total viewers
By Toni Fitzgerald
Mar 9, 2010
It looks like the Academy Awards' aggressive effort to increase viewership by upping the number of best picture nominees paid off.
Sunday night's telecast was the most-watched Oscars in five years, according to time zone-adjusted fast national ratings issued by Nielsen yesterday afternoon, drawing 41.3 million total viewers.
That was up 5 million over last year and the best for any Oscar ceremony since 42.1 million watched the 2005 show.
Among adults 18-49, the show averaged a 13.1 rating for ABC, up 8 percent over a 12.1 last year.
The gains extended to the Oscars pre-show as well, with Barbara Walters' final pre-awards special drawing its biggest audience in eight years, 15 million, up 3.4 million over last year.
The big numbers came two years after the Oscars hit an all-time low in viewership. While they were up slightly last year, the Academy wanted to ensure bigger tune-in a year after being criticized for failing to recognize the year's highest-grossing film, "The Dark Knight," for best picture.
It addressed the problem by expanding the number of best picture nominees from five to 10, and "Avatar," the highest-grossing film of all time, got one of those spots.
There was speculation beforehand that "Avatar's" nine nominations, tied for the most with eventual best picture winner "The Hurt Locker," would help drive tune-in, and it's probably true.
The ceremony received mixed reviews from TV critics. Some praised the pairing of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as hosts, while others thought their shtick seemed wooden.
Some liked the song-and-dance numbers, others thought they were out of place. Still others wondered why there was such an emphasis on young Hollywood presenters, at the expense of older veterans.
But clearly audiences were satisfied with what they saw, as they have been all year with awards shows. The Emmys, Golden Globes and Grammys were all up over last year as well.
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