E! Oscar Red Carpet Coverage Rises 8%

Pre-show coverage hosted by Seacrest and Rancic sees its most-watched telecast

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/25/2013 4:24:47 PM

E!'s Live from the Red Carpet: The 2013 Academy Awards averaged nearly 3.7 million total viewers on Sunday from 5:30-8:30 p.m., up 3% from 2012's special, according to Nielsen data.

The telecast, which was hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic, was the most-watched Oscars red carpet coverage in network history. It also drew 1.9 million adults 18-49, up 8% over 2012 its largest showing in the key demo in 11 years.

While final ratings are yet to be released, ABC's telecast of the 85^th Academy Awards was also up 19% in the key demo in preliminary ratings.