The most watched ceremony based on Nielsen ratings to date, however, was the 42nd Academy Awards (Best Picture Midnight Cowboy) which drew a 43.4% household rating on April 7, 1970.
ðə mˈoʊst wˈɑːtʃt sˈɛɹᵻməni bˈeɪst ˌɔn nˈiːlsən ɹˈeɪɾɪŋz tə dˈeɪt, haʊˈɛvɚ, wʌzðə fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛkənd ɐkˈædəmi ɐwˈɔːɹdz bˈɛst pˈɪktʃɚ mˈɪdnaɪt kˈaʊbɔɪ wˌɪtʃ dɹˈuː ɐ fˈoːɹɾi θɹˈiː.fˈoːɹ pɚsˈɛnt hˈaʊshoʊld ɹˈeɪɾɪŋ ˌɔn ˈeɪpɹəl sˈɛvən, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti.