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.