Hotgamestation dotcom: 80th annual Oscars head for record low TV ratings

80th annual Oscars head for record low TV ratings

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. telecast of the 80th annual Oscars, dominated by European stars and movies that played poorly at the box office, appears headed for record low viewership, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research on Monday.

The three-hour-plus live broadcast hosted by Jon Stewart on ABC posted a combined household rating of 21.9 in the 56 largest "metered markets" monitored by Nielsen. Each rating point represents 1 percent of the 78.8 million households in those cities -- accounting for 70 percent of the country.

National figures were expected later in the day.

The "metered market" tally was down sharply from the corresponding figure in 2003, which entered the record books as the least watched Oscars telecast ever. That show, which was presented just after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq had begun, posted a "metered market" household rating of 25.5.

The 2003 program was hosted by Steve Martin and featured the musical "Chicago" as best picture. It ended up with a national household rating of 20.4, the lowest level going back to the very first televised Oscars in 1953.

In terms of actual people watching, the 2003 telecast averaged 33.05 million viewers, the smallest number since 1974, when average audience figures first became available.

The weak ratings for Sunday's broadcast were no surprise given that most movies showcased this year, while drawing critical raves, generated little enthusiasm among moviegoers.

The night's big winner, the grim, violent crime drama "No Country For Old Men," which claimed four awards including best picture and best drama, grossed a modest $64 million (33 million pounds) at the North American box office.

Only one movie among the five nominated for best picture, breakout comedy "Juno," crossed the $100 million box office market domestically. That film managed just one win, for best original screenplay.

The Oscar ratings likely also suffered from the fact that all four acting awards this year went to European performers whose names are relatively obscure for American audiences and who appeared in movies that relatively few moviegoers saw.

The Oscars generally have drawn a bigger U.S. television audience in years when the big crowd pleasers at the multiplex, like "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," also figured prominently in the awards race.

Oscar producers already were bracing for low ratings due to an overall viewership slump in network TV this broadcast season, exacerbated by a glut of reruns and reality shows triggered by the recently settled Hollywood writers strike.

Still, the Academy Awards show ranks as the year's highest-rated entertainment special and a cash cow for Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, which raked in an average of $1.8 million for each 30-second spot, up 7 percent from a year ago.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)