Perhaps I shoulda waited for the numbers department

[Johonny]

From crack fiction journal The New York Post...

ADAM BUCKMAN
WHAT was Chris Rock's contribution to Oscar history last night? He said "ass" a lot. Otherwise, his overly hyped hosting stint was woefully undistinguished. You could even tell from the audience's reaction that he was flopping.


In the real world which we live in...


The Oscars’ 30.1 rating in Nielsen Media Research's 56 top markets was a slight 1 percent improvement over last year's comparable number, and the highest-rated Academy Awards in the metered markets since 2000. The rating is an estimate that nearly 33 million households were tuned in. "Obviously, Chris Rock as host had an impact in the resurgence of the numbers," said Larry Hyams, vice president of audience analysis and research at ABC.

[On the Road]

1. I Actually Liked Him as Host

Movie and star quality are also big factors in who tunes in to the Oscars.

[displacedtexan]

2. But Drudge says Oscar ratings are DOWN 6%. Hm. Whom to trust?

NY Post or Drudge?

Neither.

Let's ask CBS Marketwatch...

Oscar ratings beat expectations
By Russ Britt, MarketWatch
Last Update: 4:01 PM ET Feb. 28, 2005


An average of 41.5 million viewers tuned in to the broadcast by Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS: news, chart, profile) ABC Network to see "Million Dollar Baby" take best picture honors, the network said in a release. Clint Eastwood also took best directing honors for the film as did Hilary Swank for best actress and Morgan Freeman for best supporting actor.

The film was produced and distributed by Time Warner's (TWX: news, chart, profile) Warner Bros. Pictures.

ABC's ratings were down roughly 5 percent from the 43.5 million viewers who tuned in last year to see "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" sweep all 11 categories for which it was entered, including best picture and best director.

But it was well ahead of the 2003 ceremony, where 33 million viewers witnessed the coronation of the musical "Chicago." That was the year the U.S. had just gone to war with Iraq. And it was on par with the 41.8 million viewers who tuned in at the 2002 awards show to see "A Beautiful Mind" win it all.

Many expected ABC's ratings to be sharply down since none of the five nominated films had scored more than $100 million in domestic receipts prior to Sunday's telecast. The closest was "The Aviator," by Disney's Miramax Films, which had $93.8 million through the weekend.

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B74278E0B-8007-45DF-A86A-C44AF58C93C6%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

[Johonny]

3. Also

Oscar ratings were up from last year among viewers aged 18 to 34 — a prime target for the advertisers who pay millions of dollars for time on what is traditionally the year's highest-rated program after the Super Bowl.

I think it's pretty clear Chris Rock did what he was suppose to do. Bring people to watch an award show where the movies in the show were not exactly house hold names. There certainly is no indication that the ratings show Rock did a poor job or that the audience didn't get him.