Oscars Telecast Reaches Ten-Year High in Total Viewers

BURBANK: ABC's broadcast of the Academy Awards marked the most-watched entertainment telecast since 2004, gaining viewers for the third year in a row to post a ten-year high.

The Oscars drew an average audience of 43 million total viewers, delivering a 12.9 rating among adults 18 to 49. This qualifies it as the most-watched entertainment broadcast since 2004, which when the Friends finale aired. Sunday night's awards grew in audience by 6 percent over the prior year. It was up in adults 18 to 34 to a seven-year high, in teens 12 to 17 to a three-year high and kids 2 to 11 to an eight-year high. 

The Academy Awards beat out the 2014 Golden Globes by 22.1 million viewers and 98 percent in adults 18 to 49, and the 2014 Grammy Awards by 14.5 million viewers and 30 percent in adults 18 to 49. The Oscars broadcast reached an estimated 71.1 million unique TV viewers across the U.S.