Oscars TV ratings down 27% since 'Titanic' sweep
Gone are the days when the Oscarcast was viewed by more than 70% of America's TV audience. Viewing figures went into a free-fall with the arrival of many cable TV options, leveling off in the 40- to 45-million range since then. Variations 
seem to rise and fall with the popularity of the films up for best picture.
For example, only 40 million viewers tuned in to see the serious minded "The English Patient" win best picture in March 1997 while 55 million watched the following year when smash hit "Titanic" sank the competition to tie the record of 11 Oscars won. Even with the shift from Monday to Sunday (the highest night for TV watching) the following year, only 45.6 million Americans were interested in seeing "Shakespeare in Love" take home the top prize.
Those singing, dancing showgirls of "Chicago" may have won best picture in 2003 but with the Oscarcast coming only five days after the invasion of Iraq, only 33 million viewers were interested. The show bounced back the following year with 43.5 million viewers watching the final chapter of the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings" trilogy go 11 for 11 in the first February Oscarcast.
The following are the viewing figures for the last two decades of Oscarcasts with the ceremony taking place several months after the calendar year listed.
1987 "The Last Emperor" - 42.2 million viewers (last April telecast)
1988 "Rain Man" - 42.6 million viewers
1989 "Driving Miss Daisy" - 40.4 million viewers
1990 "Dances With Wolves" - 42.7 million viewers
1991 "Silence of the Lambs" - 44.4 million viewers
1992 "Unforgiven" - 45.7 million viewers
1993 "Schindler's List" - 45.1 million viewers
1994 "Forrest Gump" - 48.3 million viewers
1995 "Braveheart" - 44.9 million viewers
1996 "The English Patient" - 40.1 million viewers
1997 "Titanic" 55.2 million viewers (last Monday telecast)
1998 "Shakespeare in Love" - 45.6 million viewers (first Sunday telecast)
1999 "American Beauty" - 46.3 million viewers
2000 "Gladiator" - 42.9 million viewers
2001 "A Beautiful Mind" - 41.8 million viewers
2002 "Chicago" - 33.0 million viewers (five days after invasion of Iraq)
2003 "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" - 43.5 million viewers (first February telecast)
2004 "Million Dollar Baby" - 42.1 million viewers
2005 "Crash" - 38.9 million viewers (last March telecast)
2006 "The Departed" - 40.2 million viewers
