Sunday's show, hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco who were chosen in hopes of injecting some youth into the proceedings, scored an 11.7 rating in the ever-desirable 18- to 49-year-old adults, down 12 percent from last year's 13.3, preliminary numbers collected from some markets showed.
Total U.S. viewers slipped 10 percent to 37.6 million, and the show lost viewers for the first time since 2008. The 2010 Academy Awards drew an average audience of 41.3 million viewers, the award show's best performance in five years.
In households, the three hour and 15 minute show was down 7 percent, posting a 24.5 household rating from 5:30-8:30 p.m. PST compared to last year's 26.5.
The red carpet special from 4-5:30 p.m. PST averaged a 13.2 household rating.
New York (33.9 rating), San Francisco (33.6 rating), Chicago ( 33.0 rating), Kansas City (32.7 rating) and Boston (32.0 rating) were the top five household metered markets, according to the figures.
Xinhua
(L to R) Christian Bale, best supporting actor, Natalie Portman, best actress, Melissa Leo, best supporting actress, and Colin Firth, best actor, pose for photos at the backstage of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California, the United States, Feb. 28, 2011. (Xinhua/Qi Heng)
