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[03/08/10 - 11:14 AM]
ABC's Broadcast of the "82nd Annual Academy Awards" Qualifies as Television's Most-Watched Entertainment Telecast Since 2005
ABC spins the numbers for Sunday, March 7.
[via press release from ABC]

Sunday, March 7, 2010 - Based on Nielsen's True Fast National Ratings

ABC's Broadcast of the "82nd Annual Academy Awards" Qualifies As Television's Most-Watched Entertainment Telecast Since 2005

Posting its 2nd Straight Year of Gains, "Oscars" Surge Year to Year by 5.0 Million Viewers and by 8% in Adults 18-49, the Show's Most-Watched Telecast in 5 Years

"Barbara Walters Special" Draws Biggest Overall Audience Since 2002

"2010 Oscars" Reach 70.0 Million Unique Viewers Across the United States

The "82nd Annual Academy Awards" (8:30-11:39 p.m.)

ABC's broadcast of the "82nd Annual Academy Awards" attracted an average audience of 41.3 million Total Viewers and posted a 13.1 rating among Adults 18-49, based on Nielsen's "Fast National" ratings. The "82nd Annual Academy Awards" registered as TV's most-watched entertainment telecast since 2005 - since 2/27/05.

� Posting its 2nd straight year of gains, the "Oscars" surged year to year by 5.0 million viewers (41.3 million vs. 36.3 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (13.1 rating vs. 12.1 rating), the show's most-watched telecast overall in 5 years - since 2005.

� ABC's "82nd Annual Academy Awards" (41.3 million) towered above other awards shows this season, outdrawing the 2009 "Emmy Awards" by 27.8 million viewers (13.5 million), the 2010 "Golden Globe Awards" by 24.3 million viewers (17.0 million) and the 2010 "Grammy Awards" by 15.4 million viewers (25.9 million).

� ABC's "82nd Annual Academy Awards" reached 70.0 million unique television viewers across the U.S. - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6-minutes or more during its telecast.

"Oscar's Red Carpet 2010" (8:00 - 8:30 p.m.)

With "Oscar's Red Carpet 2010" pre-show, ABC pulled in 25.1 million viewers, drawing the special's largest audience since 2007.

"Barbara Walters Special" (7:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

ABC's telecast of "Barbara Walters Special" drew an average audience of 15.0 million viewers, up year to year by 3.4 million viewers (2009 = 11.6 million). In fact the final "Barbara Walters Special" attracted its biggest overall audience in 8 years - since 2002.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 36% currently, from 30% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Live + Same Day Fast National Ratings) - 3/7/10. Online "Oscar.com" usage figures based on data from Omniture.





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