| Scoreboard |  |
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| Total Viewers (million) | 29.147 | 9.684 | 7.329 | 5.311 | 2.887 | 1.256 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 9.6/23 | 3.6/9 | 1.8/4 | 1.6/4 | 1.2/3 | 0.4/1 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-34 | 8.7/23 | 2.6/7 | 1.2/3 | 1.1/3 | 1.2/3 | 0.3/1 |
Update: the awards averaged 36.3 million and a 12.1 rating among adults 18-49 according to ABC.
The 81st Academy Awards show managed to bounce off its record low viewership of just over 32 million last year, gaining a bit over 13% in average viewership. But still was the third lowest rated Oscars in history. For the night, ABC averaged 29.1 million viewers and a 9.6 rating in the adults 18-49 demo, both up from the fast affiliate results last year.
Both the Barbara Walters Special and Oscars Red Carpet pre shows were up from last year as well.
As it did last year, Fox counter programmed well with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Fontana, CA, averaging 9.7 million viewers and a 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demo, about the same as last year. CBS was well back, doing about the same as last year as the Amazing Race and repeats last night were on par with Big Brother and Dexter from the WGA strike period. For NBC, Dateline and the Top 100 Most Outrageous Moments special did a bit better than 4 L&O:SVU repeats last year. The dreck the CW programmed this year did as well in the 18-49 demo as the dreck they programmed last year.
Note that these fast affiliate ratings numbers are not time zone adjusted, and particularly for the live events on ABC and Fox are subject to significant revision, see below.
For comparison here is last Sunday's overnight report.
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Full details:
| Time | Net | Show | Viewers Live+SD (000s) | 18-49 Rating | 18-49 Share | 18-34 Rating | 18-34 Share |
| 7:00 | ABC | Barbara Walters Special | 17.710 | 5.3 | 14 | 4.6 | 14 |
| FOX | NASCAR Sprint Cup: Fontana | 9.943 | 3.5 | 9 | 2.4 | 7 | |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 9.151 | 1.7 | 5 | 1.2 | 4 | |
| NBC | Dateline NBC | 4.505 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.7 | 2 | |
| UNI | Hora Pico | 2.132 | 1.0 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | |
| CW | Jericho (repeat) | 0.795 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | |
| 7:30 | CW | Tomorrow Never Dies (movie) | 1.115 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.2 | 1 |
| 8:00 | ABC | Oscars Red Carpet | 29.895 | 9.3 | 22 | 8.2 | 23 |
| FOX | NASCAR Sprint Cup: Fontana | 9.503 | 3.5 | 8 | 2.7 | 7 | |
| CBS | Amazing Race 14 | 7.832 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.8 | 5 | |
| NBC | Dateline NBC | 4.710 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.9 | 2 | |
| UNI | El Gran Estreno: Voces Inocentes (movie) | 3.366 | 1.4 | 3 | 1.4 | 4 | |
| CW | Tomorrow Never Dies (movie) | 1.244 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | |
| 8:30 | ABC | 81st Academy Awards | 37.699 | 12.2 | 28 | 11.0 | 28 |
| 9:00 | ABC | 81st Academy Awards | 33.914 | 11.3 | 25 | 10.3 | 25 |
| FOX | NASCAR Sprint Cup: Fontana | 9.606 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.8 | 7 | |
| CBS | Cold Case (repeat) | 6.903 | 1.6 | 4 | 1.1 | 3 | |
| NBC | Top 100 Most Outrageous Moments 2 | 5.180 | 1.7 | 4 | 1.1 | 3 | |
| UNI | El Gran Estreno: Voces Inocentes (movie) | 3.879 | 1.6 | 4 | 1.6 | 4 | |
| CW | Tomorrow Never Dies (movie) | 1.570 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | |
| 10:00 | ABC | 81st Academy Awards | 31.170 | 10.8 | 26 | 9.9 | 26 |
| NBC | Top 100 Most Outrageous Moments 2 | 6.849 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.7 | 4 | |
| CBS | The Unit (repeat) | 5.429 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | |
| UNI | ¿Quién Tiene la Razón? | 2.171 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.7 | 2 |
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Shows are sorted by viewers in each time slot.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. Source Marc Berman/Mediaweek.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101.
Color me surprised. Practically everyone I know blew off the Oscars this year. (But then it’s not like I know the entire population of the United States. Don’t mean to pull a Pauline Kael.
)
I guess NASCAR failed to draw away from OSCARS?
i think the time zone adjustment pushes this out of record low territory for sure. for LA anything included in these numbers was after the Oscars were already over, it also doesn’t include 11p-12a and if the metered markets hold up in trend if not overall accuracy, the last half hour was the second most-watched half hour.
Andy, the NASAR race this year seems to have done almost exactly the same as it did last year.
Bill, you by far are on the spot with info no one else could get. Thanks!! PS: Yes I am being snarky, no offense.
I watched the start and swore I was watching The Tony’s. I’m not surprised that people who started tuning in started tuning out.
I’m rather surprised the numbers were up as well – though, as you said, it will still be one of the worst ratings.
What is interesting is that the counter-programming did the same numbers as last year. So, essentially, the Oscar improvement is solely due to people not watching the cable competition or actually turning on their TVs who didn’t last year.
Therefore, much of last year’s ratings funk could be simply strike related – people simply stopped watching TV Sundays then, and have gone back to old habits by now.
Is that a series low for Amazing Race?
i thought the oscars would have a bigger audience than that. i was thinking more like 40-50 million. does this seem kinda low?
It is a shame that the Oscar’s are the “pinnacle” for actors and films because they just seem so political and wacky, and it is no surprise that less people are watching the Oscars. 32 years later, I swear I hear a Star Wars reference every day of my life, yet it lost best picture to Annie Hall? They probably only beat last years numbers because people wanted to see if Heath won.
People can say all they want about The Dark Knight not being a Oscar type picture of the year film, but I think it is appalling that Christopher Nolan wasn’t nominated for best director, and the guy who shot the reader was. Nolan has, to quote Heath Ledger as the Joker, “changed things, there’s no going back.” He took a comic book, and brought a true sense of realism to it (starting with Batman Begins). Secondly, the way he shot scenes in IMAX was incredible. Finally, doesn’t he get some credit for bringing out an Oscar winning performance by Ledger? The Dark Knight is full of classic cinema scenes, such as the pencil trick, the Batman/Joker interrogation, and the semi flipping over in downtown Chicago. The Reader…? seriously.
Sorry for the mini-rant, but the Academy shouldn’t be surprised that less and less people are watching the show each year. Viewers speak at the box office, so it shouldn’t come as surprise that when indie babies are walking away with statues, people choose to do something else (Probably watch The Dark Knight on blu-ray)
Oh and when I say, viewers speak at the box office, I realize that doesn’t always mean those movies are good, as Madea goes to Jail made over 40 million dollars this weekend.
The Reader is a good movie but I would prefer Revolutionary Road.
Benjamin Button nomination ia s joke, awful movie.
Marc Berman had a pretty good assessment of CW on Sundays
“Last, and very least (so what else is new?) was the CW with a repeat of Jericho (Viewers: 795,000; A18-49: 0.3/ 1 in the 7 p.m. half hour) and a repeat of theatrical Tomorrow Never Dies (Viewers: 1.35 million; A18-49: 0.4/ 1 from 7:30-10 p.m.). Maybe it is time for the CW to give Sunday back to the affiliates. ”
He hit the nail on the head there.
Academy Awards? Probably the only reason that many watched it was because it was Heath Ledgers farewell.
^Even with those numbers, The CW is up +25% from last year (on Sundays)
Adam, I read somewhere that The Dark Knight grossed more money in its first four days than all of the best picture nominations have combined. I agree with you 100%, but the day will never come when the Academy will consider summer blockbusters and especially not superhero movies. They’re way too elitist to go that route, and it’s a real shame because it’s made the Oscars a joke, aside from Heath and Wall-E, I’d be amazed at how many people watching had even heard of these movies.
Nick C, you say that like it’s a bad thing. Some of us like the Tonys, you know!
I foolishly watched the last 45 minutes of the Oscars and I thought it was terrible, especially when previous winners came out and worshipped the nominees for best actress and actor. That made me want to puke.
I used to LOVE the Oscars, but I stopped watching about four years ago because I saw that it had almost nothing to do with real merit. AND it had become way too predictable/political. As I suspected, Slumdog Millionaire cleared out the Oscar wins. I thought that movie was fantastic, but the Oscar’s view of things is way too narrow. ITA with those who think Christopher Nolan should have got a Best Director Oscar nod. The Oscars are too snobbish to recognize that a superhero movie can actually be a well-made movie. For me anyway, its relevancy is somewhere around a Miss America pageant level.
Mandi, your comment reminded me of a quote I read recently (I’m betting that Robert will remind me where), “Remember when the Super Bowl was boring and the Oscars were exciting?”.
The “OSCARS RED CARPET SPECIAL” was c==r==a==a===a===a==p! It made me turn off the show – NO WONDER THESE PEOPLE NEED A SCRIPT….they don’t know how to be sincere or real OR HOW TO TALK…my gosh their small talk was boring – “I’m glad to be here” …(and YOU don’t know what else to say because there’s no script and no one here is saying “ACTION”)-
- and what kind of questions were the MC’s giving??
My wife and popped in a DVD…I thought if this is a preview of what’s to come we’re not watching…blah, blah, blah