Ellen DeGeneres hosting Oscars: How the show has done in ratings

Ellen DeGeneres is, safe to say, a very different pick to host the Academy Awards from 2013 master of ceremonies Seth MacFarlane.

But DeGeneres, who hosted before in 2007, may not be so different from the “Family Guy” creator when it comes to drawing viewers.

Some 40.3 million people tuned in to the MacFarlane broadcast, whose performance was widely criticized by viewers and critics as sexist and crude, compared with 39.9 million for DeGeneres, according to Nielsen. That’s about a 1% difference.

PHOTOS: Oscar hosts throughout the years

Recently, the Oscars have tried pretty much every kind of host to appeal to various demographics, including young hosts (James Franco and Anne Hathaway), old hosts (Billy Crystal), safe hosts (DeGeneres) and bold hosts (MacFarlane).

But none have matched the record 1998 telecast when “Titanic” won for best picture. That show, hosted by Crystal, drew more than 55 million viewers.

Here are some numbers from recent Oscars broadcasts on ABC.

2013

Host: Seth MacFarlane. Average viewers: 40.3 million. Change from year before: +2%

2012

Host: Billy Crystal. Average viewers: 39.3 million. Change from year before: +4%

2011

Hosts: James Franco, Anne Hathaway. Average viewers: 37.6 million. Change from year before: -10%

2010

Hosts: Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin. Average viewers: 41.3 million. Change from year before: +14%

2009

Host: Hugh Jackman. Average viewers: 36.3 million. Change from year before: +13%

2008

Host: Jon Stewart. Average viewers: 32 million. Change from year before: -21%

2007

Host: Ellen DeGeneres. Average viewers: 39.9 million. Change from year before: +3%

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ryan.faughnder@latimes.com