Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co.'s ABC television network said last night's Academy Awards broadcast was seen in about 21.1 million U.S. homes, the fewest in 39 years.

The 80th Academy Awards ceremony averaged 32 million viewers from 8:30 p.m. to 11:38 p.m. New York time, ABC said today in an e-mailed statement, citing Nielsen Media Research projections. Final data out tomorrow may alter the totals.

Total viewers were the fewest since Nielsen began compiling the data in 1974. The household figure is the lowest since 1969 when ``Oliver!'' won best picture. Of this year's best-picture nominees, only ``Juno'' took in more than $100 million in U.S. ticket sales, according to researcher Box Office Mojo LLC.

``The nominated movies may have had some impact,'' Brad Adgate, research director for the New York-based advertising agency Horizon Media Inc., said in an interview. ``Typically those movies that really score well at the box office aren't critically acclaimed. It's art versus popularity.''

``No Country for Old Men,'' based on the book by Cormac McCarthy and distributed by Disney, nabbed Oscars for best film, directing and adapted screenplay. Javier Bardem won best supporting actor for his role as the film's villain. The movie had garnered $64.2 million in domestic ticket sales.

``There Will Be Blood,'' for which Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor, ``Michael Clayton'' and Golden Globe-winner ``Atonement'' all have less than $50 million in U.S. ticket sales. ``Juno'' has the most with $130.4 million.

Viewership Data

Disney, the second-largest U.S. media company, rose 32 cents to $32.89 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The Burbank, California-based company has fallen 5.1 percent in the past 12 months.

The telecast had an 18.7 household rating and a 29 share, ABC said, citing the Nielsen data. A rating point equals 1.13 million U.S. households. The network scored a 10.7 rating with viewers aged 18-49, those most sought by advertisers, ABC said.

Last year, when Martin Scorsese's ``The Departed'' won best picture, the show garnered a 23.6 household rating with a 37 share, according to Nielsen's Web site. The annual show typically attracts the second-largest U.S. audience after the National Football League's Super Bowl, which drew 97.1 million viewers, or three times as many, to Fox this year.

ABC charged as much as $1.82 million for a 30-second spot during the Oscars, up 7 percent from a year earlier, Advertising Age magazine reported last week. The drop-off won't hurt future ad sales, Adgate said.

`Crown Jewel'

``It's still one of the crown jewels for television advertisers,'' Adgate said. ``It's still a very prestigious television event.''

The Oscars show, Hollywood's biggest annual ceremony, was in doubt until Feb. 12, when studios and writers reached a new labor agreement, ending a three-month strike. The Golden Globes, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was forced to hold a news conference instead of a formal ceremony before the labor accord was reached.

``There weren't a lot of televised award shows this year,'' Adgate said. ``You would expect a hunger for award shows because this was the only big award show on network TV.''

Marion Cotillard was named best actress for ``La Vie En Rose,'' the story of troubled French singer Edith Piaf. Tilda Swinton took best supporting actress for her portrayal of a crooked corporate attorney in ``Michael Clayton.''

Studios use nominations to generate additional ticket and DVD sales.

Sales Boost

``It helps a lot, no question about it,'' Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook said on CNBC today. ```No Country' should get a real boost in the next few weeks and it should get a boost when it comes out on DVD.''

Heading into the ceremony, ``No Country'' benefited the least among the best picture nominees. The film had $6.84 million in post-nomination sales, according to Nielsen EDI. Worldwide sales totaled $94.9 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

``Juno,'' awarded the best original screenplay Oscar for the script by Diablo Cody, was the biggest box-office winner among the five best-movie nominees. The film took in $22.8 million over the three weekends following the Jan. 22 nominations announcement, according to box-office tracker Nielsen EDI.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 25, 2008 18:18 EST