THE 83RD ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS® was watched by 6.1 million viewers last night on CTV, up 4% compared to last year, based on preliminary overnight data comparisons. Audiences increased even more among younger demographics, up 6% among Adults 18-34 (1.36 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7 million), and also up 4% among Adults 25-54 (2.6 million). It’s the most-watched OSCARS® broadcast in Canada since 1998 and the second-most watched broadcast of the year, following SUPER BOWL XLV (6.53 million, CTV). Last year’s broadcast was ultimately watched by 6.2 million viewers; final audience data from BBM Canada for THE 83RD ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS will be available in the coming weeks.
A quick ratings recap reveals that:
* More than one in two viewers (52%) watching television last night in English Canada were watching the OSCARS on CTV.
* The broadcast generated 14.35 million unique viewers overall.
* The audience grew during the broadcast, growing to 6.37 million viewers during the final half-hour (11-11:30 p.m.)
* The audience went as high as 7.34 million viewers at 10:30 p.m.
Earlier in the night, Canada’s official red carpet show, ETALK AT THE OSCARS was watched by 1 million viewers on CTV, /A\ and CP24. As the only Canadian outlet on the red carpet, ETALK’s Ben Mulroney, Tanya Kim and Lainey had all the angles covered, with Ben on the ground interviewing Hollywood’s hottest stars and nominees, and Tanya and Lainey talking fashion from their exclusive position above the carpet. Among the numerous stars to chat with Mulroney were Sandra Bullock, Geoffrey Rush, Mark Ruffalo, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Melissa Leo, Hugh Jackman, Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Lawrence and Celine Dion. ETALK AT THE OSCARS is available on demand now at CTV.ca, allowing viewers to relive all of the red carpet fashion and memorable moments.
The OSCAR coverage on E! broke records, scoring the highest audiences to date for the network since its launch in November. At 6 p.m. ET, LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET: THE 2011 ACADEMY AWARDS with Ryan Seacrest, Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osborne scored a perfect 10, with a record-breaking audience of 483,000 viewers, up 88% from the previous network high. An impressive showing for the special in the A18-49 demo (316,000) helped rank it the #1 program for the day in the demo on all non-sports specialty in Canada.
In addition to the CTV and /A\ broadcast, ETALK AT THE OSCARS at 8 p.m. ET secured another 155,000 viewers on E! The network’s extensive Oscar coverage began at 2 p.m. ET, with E! generating its largest audiences since the network launched in Canada in November.
Additionally, in the Greater Toronto Area, ETALK AT THE OSCARS delivered red carpet glamour, reaching 340,000 viewers (6:30 – 8 p.m.) on CP24, a 46% increase over the time period average.
OSCARS.CTV.CA remains the Canadian authority for the Academy Awards®. With hundreds logged on before ETALK AT THE OSCARS even started, The Online Oscar Party at OSCARS.CTV.CA attracted almost 35,000 viewers to the celebrity-studded live chat. Not only did viewers flock to the site in numbers 4.5 times greater than the previous year, but the average visitor stayed engaged for 40 minutes.
As well, the simultaneous live webcast of ETALK AT THE OSCARS saw more than double the number of live viewers over 2010 with almost 20,000 video views. In the week leading up to the Oscars, OSCARS.CTV.CA saw 609,000 page views, nearly twice that that of last year. CTV.CA has a full live chat, event highlights, galleries, Oscar news and expert analysis of THE 83rd ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS.
The Oscar post-show analysis will take place during tonight’s episode of ETALK at 7 p.m. ET on CTV, where gossip, fashion and parties will be recapped. E! also has fashion covered with FASHION POLICE: THE 2011 ACADEMY AWARDS at 10 p.m. ET, and ETALK FASHION FIX: OSCARS, airing tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET on CTV and 6:30 p.m. ET on E!.
