Academy Awards ratings were dismal

It’s official: The Oscars were a ratings dud.

Nielsen Media Research reported Monday that preliminary ratings for the 80th annual Academy Awards telecast are 14 percent lower than the least-watched ceremony ever. That was in 2003, when there were 33 million viewers.

Nielsen said the overnight ratings from the nation’s biggest markets were 21 percent lower than last year, when “The Departed” was named best picture.