Official 2011 Oscar ratings: Down 10% from last year
The official Oscar ratings are in — and it’s not good news.
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards drew 37.6 million viewers Sunday, down 10% from last year, according to preliminary Nielsen estimates, but ratings were above ABC’s 2008 and 2009 Oscar telecasts.
The predictability of the winners and perhaps the initial art-house label put on The King’s Speech might be to blame, but one thing is certain: A calculated move by the academy to attract a younger audience with hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway apparently didn’t work, as viewership among 18- to 34-year-olds also dipped 5% from last year.
The 2008 Oscars, with No Country for Old Men as the best-picture winner, set a record low dating back at least to 1974, while 1998’s 55 million remains Oscar’s high point, thanks to multiple winner Titanic. Film’s top awards are typically the year’s top entertainment draw, but were outranked by the Super Bowl and several NFL playoff games.
Recent Oscar results and best-picture winners:
2011 37.6 million viewers (The King’s Speech)
2010 41.7 million (The Hurt Locker)
2009 36.3 million (Slumdog Millionaire)
2008 32.0 million (No Country for Old Men)
2007 40.2 million (The Departed)
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