2012 Oscar Viewership Up 4 Percent Over 2011

Posted on February 27, 2012

The ratings for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were good for ABC. 39.3 million viewers watched the show, which was an increase of 4% over the 37.9 million viewers in 2011. This number was smaller than the 41.7 million viewers that watched in 2010. CNN has a list of the ratings since 2007 here. The highest year ever was 1998 when 55.2 million viewers tuned in. This was the year of Titanic.

Variety credits social media and the return of Billy Crystal, which brought in an older audience. There were a lot of stars at the show this year, which helps draw in viewers. However, fan favorite films - like the final Harry Potter movie - were not up for Best Picture which can hurt viewership. The Academy may have had an even bigger bump if Deathly Hallows 2 had been up for Best Picture. It really can help when there are movies up for awards that lots and lots of people have watched.