Taking years off Oscars’ viewership

Next month’s Oscar telecast might not draw more viewers than usual, but it has a good shot at drawing younger ones, Gil Cates said Tuesday. The longtime producer of the Academy Awards telecast predicted nominations for black actors Jamie Foxx and Don Cheadle -- plus the presence of first-time host Chris Rock, a favorite on college campuses -- will pull in a more youthful and ethnically diverse viewership.

“There will be a higher under-40 group of people who watch because of Chris Rock,” Cates said. Younger viewers are considered crucial because advertisers pay more to reach them.

Average total Oscar viewership has hovered between 40 million and 50 million over the past 10 years, with two exceptions. In 1998, 55.2 million tuned in to see “Titanic” win best picture. And in 2003, the start of the Iraq war sent viewership plummeting to 33 million.

Playing opposite ABC’s hit show “Desperate Housewives,” this year’s Golden Globe Awards on NBC drew 16.8 million viewers -- a 37% drop from the previous year. This year’s Oscar telecast on ABC won’t have to compete with “Housewives,” but it might see a slight dip anyway, said Brad Adgate of Horizon Media in New York. “There’s no real breakout movie, no box-office hit up for any awards.”