Oscars Telecast Is Most-Watched In Five Years

Awards show scores 41.3 million viewers, up 12% in demo from ‘09

By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/8/2010 2:30:46 PM

Sunday night's telecast of the 82^nd Academy Awards, in which independent film The Hurt Locker took six awards and beat out blockbuster Avatar for best picture and best director, attracted 41.3 million viewers.  That was the show's highest total since the 2005 show and bested last year's show by five million viewers.

The primetime portion of the show (8:30-11:39 p.m.) earned a 12.5 rating in the demo, a 12% rise from last year's number, according to fast affiliate ratings.  Last year's show scored a 12.1 rating in the demo and averaged 36.3 million viewers.

Overall, the awards show averaged a 26.5 rating/40 share in overnight metered markets.  Chicago was the highest-rated market with a 37.6, followed by West Palm (33.3) and Boston (33.2). 

The show hit a peak in the 8:30 half-hour with 42.1 million viewers, according to fast nationals.  From 8:30-9:30 it hit a high-water mark in the 18-49 demo of 12.9/30.  Barbara Walters pre-show special, the last Oscar's show for the veteran newswoman, pulled a 4.9/15 in the opening 7 p.m. hour with 19.2 million viewers and rose to 5.8/17 and 22.7 million in the second half-hour.

It's the second-straight year of ratings increases for the show.  The Oscar's hit a high of 55.2 million average viewers in 1998, when Avatar director James Cameron's last film, Titanic, won best picture.