Canadians Love Oscar as 5.5 Million Viewers Make THE OSCARS® the Most-Watched in Two Years on CTV

– THE OSCARS win the day with total viewers and in all key demos, with nearly 13 million viewers watching some or all of the live broadcast –
– ETALK delivered homegrown coverage during ETALK AT THE OSCARS, which was watched by 1.2 million viewers on CTV and provides a full Oscar recap, including exclusive interviews with newly minted Oscar-winners, tonight at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV –
– E! is the #1 Canadian Entertainment Specialty Network during LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET: THE 2016 ACADEMY AWARDS^®, and a special Oscar edition of FASHION POLICE airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT –
– On Twitter, #etalkredcarpet, #Oscars, and Oscar-related topics trend across Canada –
– Viewers can visit CTV.ca to catch the buzzed-about must-see moments from the night, as well as the full OSCARS broadcast, backstage videos, and more – 

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1RBy3Zm

TORONTO, Feb. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - During a golden night that featured Canadian presenters, performers, and nominees, THE OSCARS became the #1 program of the day in Canada  with 5.5 million viewers on CTV preliminary overnight data from Numeris confirms. Leading the day not only with total viewers but also in all key demos and in all metered markets, THE OSCARS delivered a 51% share with one in two English-language Canadians who were watching TV last night tuning into the 3.5-hour broadcast. Up 5% over last year's Oscar ceremony with total viewers, THE OSCARS also saw growth in the key A25-54 (+10%) and A18-49 (+6%) demos, and was the most-watched broadcast since 2014. In all, nearly 13 million unique viewers watched some or all of the live broadcast.

A closer look at Numeris preliminary data for Sunday: 

• Viewership for THE OSCARS peaked with 6.2 million viewers at 10:31 p.m. ET as host Chris Rock talked to movie goers in Compton, CA, which led into the Best Supporting Actor Award for Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).
• The program drew huge ratings in key markets earning double digits with total viewers and all key demos;
  • Toronto - 21 rating with total viewers, a 20.2 for A18-34, 19.4 for A18-49, and 19.6 for A25-54
  • Vancouver - 20.6 rating with total viewers, 18.6 for A18-34, 20.2 for A18-49, and 21.8 for A25-54
  • Montréal - 23.5 rating with total viewers, 17.9 for A18-34, 19.5 for A18-49 and a 19.3 for A25-54
• OSCARS OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET ranked as the #2 program of the day with total viewers and in all key demos with 2.7 million viewers.
• In all metered markets, OSCARS OPENING CEREMONY: LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET was the #2 entertainment show among total viewers and in all key demos.
• With 1.2 million viewers, ETALK AT THE OSCARS becomes the second-highest audience on record for the show.
• E!'s signature LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET: THE 2016 ACADEMY AWARDS averaged 252,000 total viewers, making E! the #1 Canadian Entertainment Specialty Network among total viewers, the key A18-49, A25-54 demos, and all the female demos during its 5:30-8:30 p.m. timeslot.
• Overall, E!'s COUNTDOWN TO THE RED CARPET, LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET, and E! AFTER PARTY specials reached nearly 1.4 million Canadians.

With social media buzzing throughout the night, both #etalkredcarpet, #Oscars, and Oscar-related topics were trending across Canada. On CTV.ca, authenticated live stream views of THE OSCARS broadcast were up 73% over 2015, and the Oscars.CTV.ca site also saw growth with page views up by 50% and visits up 65% over 2015 on award show day*. Viewers can catch-up on the must-see unforgettable moments, awards and acceptance speeches, the best of host Chris Rock, the thank you cam, as well as the full Oscar broadcast, and more at CTV.ca.

Tonight, the coverage continues in one of ETALK's biggest broadcasts of the year with a special Oscar-edition airing at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, and 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two and CTV GO. Bringing viewers a full recap of Hollywood's biggest night, the ETALK team, including Ben Mulroney, Danielle Graham, Lainey Lui, and Jessi Cruickshank, report on location from outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, delivering exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage of the most buzzed-about after parties, backstage moments, and exclusive red carpet highlights not seen during Sunday night's live broadcast. ETALK's exclusive red carpet interviews include 2016 Oscar winners Brie Larson (Room), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Adam McKay (The Big Short), Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith (Spectre), along with Jacob Tremblay (Room), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Whoopi Goldberg (THE VIEW), Stephan Moccio (Fifty Shades of Grey), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Mindy Kaling (Inside Out), Andy Serkis (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), and more.

ETALK's L.A. Correspondent Jessi Cruickshank also brings viewers exclusive party highlights from Elton John's annual post-Oscar bash, and Canada's #1 entertainment news show goes behind the velvet rope at this year's Governor's Ball and Vanity Fair parties. The show also includes ETALK's new @JESSI segment, where Cruickshank breaks down all the unforgettable Oscar moments that broke the Internet during THE OSCARS – tracking every like, trend, tweet, and Instagram post that blew up on social media. ETALK's award season coverage continues with the upcoming Canadian Screen Awards and JUNO Awards.

Also airing tonight (Feb. 29) is a special Oscar edition of E!'s hit series FASHION POLICE (8 p.m. ET/PT on E!), made famous by the iconic and indelible Joan Rivers. Style savvy panelists Melissa Rivers, Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski, Margaret Cho, and guest host Tim Gunn break down celebrity fashions and highlight the good, the bad, and the WTF moments from last night.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@etalkCTV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences – @TheAcademy
Ben Mulroney – @BenMulroney 
Danielle Graham – @DanielleGraham
Lainey – @LaineyGossip
Traci Melchor – @stayfabulous
Devon Soltendieck – @DSoltendieck
Liz Trinnear – @liztrinnear
Jessi Cruickshank – @JESSI

Facebook:
Facebook.com/CTV
Facebook.com/etalkCTV

Instagram:
@BellMediaPR
@CTV_Television
@etalkCTV

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 14 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

Source: Numeris, overnight vs. overnight. CTV electronic audience databases incorporate data beginning in 1994. Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.

*Source: Omniture Global Suite, February 2015 vs. February 2016

SOURCE CTV

Image with caption: "CTV (CNW Group/CTV)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160229_C1803_PHOTO_EN_632080.jpg

Matthew Almeida, CTV Networks, 416.384.2629 or [email protected]; Jessica Charbonneau, CTV Networks, 416.384.3016 or [email protected]; Christy Sullivan, CTV Networks, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]