According to an estimate 41.3 million people watched the Oscars golden night. So millions of people saw "The Hurt Locker" top the popular "Avatar" for best picture. 2010 Oscars were the most watched Oscars since the year 2005.The viewership for Oscars went up by 14% since 2009.
A Oscars built a big climax over the last week when the Iraqi war thriller "The Hurt Locker" and its director, Kathryn Bigelow, topped "Avatar," directed by James Cameron. Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Oscar for best director in the history of Oscars.
36.3 million people saw "Slumdog Millionaire" win best picture in 2009 and 32 million in 2008.The Oscars had just over 42 million watch in 2005. The Oscar ratings have fallen with time. The Golden Globes were up 14 percent over the year before. The Emmys, the Tony’s and the Miss America pageant all saw higher ratings over the years.
Analysts say fewer chances for American audiences to gather in front of the television. With a poor economy, more people are staying home. Many people are online while the shows are on rather than gluing to the television screens. However the business dispute between Cablevision and Walt Disney Co. has not affected the ratings for New York market.