NEW YORK (AP) - Preliminary Oscars ratings from the nation's
biggest markets are down 7 percent from 2010.

The Nielsen Co. said Sunday's Academy Awards telecast, where
"The King's Speech" was the big winner, had a 24.6 rating and 37
share in the nation's 56 largest markets. The same count for last
year's show had a 26.5 rating and 40 share.

Nielsen didn't immediately have an estimate on how many people
watched the show overall; that was expected later Monday. Last
year's Oscars ceremony was watched by 41.7 million people.

Despite the overall dip, Nielsen said ratings among the
18-to-49-year-old demographic were down only 2 percent. The Oscars
brought young actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway on as hosts to
appeal to a younger audience.