82nd Oscar viewership figures highest in past five years

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were watched by over 41 million viewers in the US, the largest audience for the Oscars in the past five years.

Nearly 41.3 million US viewers watched the three-and- -a-half hour long ceremony held at the Kodak theatre on March 7, hosted by actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, according to Nielsen Media research company.

This was 14 per cent more than the 36.3 million US viewers for 2009's Academy Awards, in which Mumbai based potboiler 'Slumdog Millionaire' won the Best Picture trophy.

According to the Nielsen figures, this year's Oscars audience was the largest since the 2005 awards, when 42.1 million viewers watched the annual event.

 

Oscar viewership sank to a record low in 2008, when 32.01 million tuned in to watch the ceremony.

This year, the Academy increased the number of films nominated for best picture from five to 10. Low-budget Iraq war drama 'The Hurt Locker' beat blockbuster 'Avatar' to emerge the biggest winner, picking up six Oscars including for Best Film and Best Director.

A last minute deal between Cablevision and Disney ensured that more than 3 million Cablevision customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut saw the most-awaited movie extravaganza.