Academy Awards is TV's top entertainment telecast in 1 year

Fast national ratings:

ABC Sunday Prime (7-11 p.m. - preliminary "Fast Affiliate" averages)

With its broadcast of the 88th Annual Academy Awards, ABC towered over Sunday's primetime, outdelivering its combined broadcast competition (CBS, NBC and FOX) by 184 percent in total viewers (28.1 million vs. 9.9 million) and by 295 percent in adults 18-49 (8.3/24 vs. 2.1/6).

'Oscar's Red Carpet Live - Part 3' (8-8:30 p.m.)

From 8-8:30 p.m. leading into the ceremony, ABC's "Oscar's Red Carpet Live" pulled in 22.2 million viewers on average.

The Oscars(8:30-11:51 p.m.)

ABC's 2016 telecast of "The Oscars" drew an average audience of 34.3 million total viewers and earned a 10.4 rating among adults 18-49, based on Nielsen's live + same day "fast national" ratings. In viewers and young adults, the 2016 Oscars stands as TV's biggest entertainment telecast in one year - since last year's telecast (Feb. 22).

The 2016 Academy Awards retained 94 percent of last year's total viewers and 96 percent among adults 18-49 in the "fast national" ratings (36.6 million and 10.8 rating in adults 18-49 in 2015), which adjusted up in the national numbers (to 37.3 million and 11.0 rating in adults 18-49). In addition, the Chris Rock-hosted ceremony grew year to year with adults 18-34 (1 percent - 9.4 rating vs. 9.3 rating) and across all key men demos: (up 20 percent M18-34 (8.5 vs. 7.1); 6 percent M18-49 (9.4 vs. 8.9); and 1 percent M25-54 (10.3 vs. 10.2).

TV's No. 1 awards show, ABC's The Oscars towered over other key awards shows this year, outdrawing the 2016 Golden Globe Awards by 15.8 million viewers and 89 percent in adults 18-49 (18.5 million/5.5 rating in AD18-49 on Jan. 10); and topped the Grammy Awards by 9.3 million viewers and 35 percent in adults 18-49 (25.0 million/7.7 rating in AD18-49 on Feb. 15).

The Oscars telecast reached an estimated 57.9 million unique television viewers across the U.S. - unduplicated viewers 2-plus watching six minutes or more during the broadcast.

Social Activity (Nielsen Social)

According to Nielsen Social, The Oscars was the No. 1 most social program on Sunday with a total of 1.8 million people in the U.S. sending one or more of the 7.2 million tweets, surging 22 percent over last year's telecast (5.9 million tweets).

The most tweeted about minute of the telecast occurred at 11:56 p.m. (175,148 tweets), as viewers applauded Leonardo DiCaprio's first Oscar win for Best Actor.

Source: The Nielsen Company, live + same day, fast national program ratings for Feb. 28, 2016, unless stated otherwise. Nielsen Social, ranked by unique audience or Tweets, Feb. 28, 2016, vs. Feb. 22, 2015.

Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars Sunday. (ABC photo by Rick Rowell)

The Oscars - pressroom: Academy Award winners, from left: Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Alicia Vikander. The 88th Oscars, held Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, was televised live by the ABC Television Network. (ABC photo by Rick Rowell)