Early Ratings Show Oscar Viewership Up Slightly

NEW YORK: The preliminary ratings for last night’s Academy Awards telecast were slightly higher than last year’s show, according to early data from Nielsen.

Based on Nielsen’s Household Metered Market ratings in 56 U.S. markets and adult 18-49 ratings, the Awards averaged a 25.5 Household rating from 8:30 p.m. to 11:24 p.m., with a 38 share overnight. This was up from a 24.5/37 last year. With the 18-to-49 demo, the 2012 Academy Awards delivered a 14.3 rating in Nielsen’s LPM (Local People Meter) markets.

Competitively, with the 84th Annual Academy Awards broadcast and Oscar’s Red Carpet 2012 pre-show, ABC beat CBS, NBC and FOX combined by 140 percent on average in the U.S. Household Metered Markets.