Never Underestimate the Stupidity ...

The American TV-viewing public showed it didn't listen to pundits last night. Amid predictions of Oscar doom, based on the low boxoffice of the nominated films and concerns about Chris Rock as a poor choice for host (concerns he fully justified), it was a good night for the Academy and ABC:

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.

Nationwide viewership totals were to become available later Monday.

Last year's Oscars were seen by 43.5 million people, a sharp 32 percent increase over 2003. Considering the ominous signs of ratings declines for the Golden Globes and Grammys this year, the numbers left ABC executives pleased.

"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.

Another way to read this, of course, is the Rock and ABC failed to replicate last year's viewership growth. Will ABC be happy with lackluster growth and, reportedly, many, many complaints? Probably, because for the lost, just not falling over a cliff is a good outcome.

It will be interesting to see if the small (red state) markets follow the major market trend. It will also be interesting to see the "tune out" rate as the telecast progressed through the night.