TV RATINGS : The Ratings Award Goes to Oscar

With the Academy Awards racking up the highest ratings of any entertainment special so far this season, ABC coasted to victory in the weekly prime-time ratings race. Figures released Tuesday by the A. C. Nielsen Co. showed ABC’s programs averaging a 13.5 rating, compared to 11.8 for NBC and 11.4 for CBS. Each rating point represents 931,000 homes. ABC estimated that 76 million people in the United States watched at least part of the Oscar telecast. Nevertheless, NBC retained its hold on first place for the season as a whole. The full list of ratings is on F10.

* The premiere of CBS’ legal drama “The Antagonists” on March 26 was a dud. The program ran third in its time period, attracting viewers in 7.5 million homes and finishing 67th among the week’s 85 prime-time programs. It fared slightly better in its regular time slot two nights later, drawing an audience of 8 million homes.

Show Points Share 1. “63rd Annual Academy Awards” (ABC) 28.4 48 2. “Cheers” (NBC) 20.6 34 3. “60 Minutes” (CBS) 19.3 38 4. “Barbara Walters Special” (ABC) 18.5 31 5. “Roseanne” (ABC) 18.1 28 * “The Antagonists” (CBS) 8.0 15