Golden Globes broadcast seen by 17 million viewers

New York: The Nielsen Co. says Sunday`s Golden Globes ceremony was seen by almost 17 million TV viewers. It beat all network competition in its time period, slightly exceeding last year`s audience for the film and TV awards show.

According to time zone-adjusted Nielsen "fast national" figures released Monday, it was NBC`s most-watched prime-time entertainment telecast in the 18-to-49 demographic since last year`s Golden Globes. Carried by NBC from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time, the program aired live in every time zone for the second year in a row. British comedian-actor Ricky Gervais returned as host, irreverently lampooning many of the nominees, presenters and even the sponsoring Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Bureau Report