Neil Patrick Harris leads Oscars to six-year TV ratings low

Television ratings for the Oscars broadcast in the US fell 16% this year after lukewarm reviews for first-time host Neil Patrick Harris. Sunday night’s show averaged 36.6 million viewers, down from 43.7 million in 2014, according to Nielsen ratings cited by Variety. The figures showed that the number of people tuning in to see Eddie Redmayne walk away with the best actor prize were the lowest in six years. Some blamed the relative lack of mass-appeal movies among those nominated, while for others the predictability of the awards races this year didn’t help - almost all of the categories were won by the favourites.

Perhaps the only person who didn’t seem entirely prepared was Neil Patrick Harris… Harris had been pre-sold as an expert live host, and yet seemed, befuddlingly, stymied by the exigencies of hosting.

TIME Magazine on Neil Patrick Harris

The Oscars’ hosting job is a notoriously thankless task. Previous low-points of recent years include the wince-inducing duo of James Franco and Anne Hathaway in 2011. Harris, 41, who has a strong following among younger viewers as the star of sitcom How I Met Your Mother, was seen as a bridge between older viewers and the younger audiences advertisers covet most. But he had a tough act to follow: last year’s host Ellen DeGeneres powered the show to a 10-year ratings high. But critics were scathing about Harris’ stewardship of this year’s three-and-a-half hour Academy Awards show, including his stripping to his underwear in a skit about best picture winner Birdman.

Entertainment Neil Patrick Harris