The 2014 Oscars proved to be a big ratings win for ABC, and for live TV.  In a day where everyone is opting for Netflix over networks, the Oscars brought in 43 million viewers. To give perspective, the press release calls out that it was “TV’s most-watched entertainment telecast since 2004 – since the “Friends” finale on 05/06/04.” While this still pales in comparison to the Super Bowl (111.5 million viewers), and even playoff football (this year’s 49ers vs. Packers Wildcard game drew 47 million) it is reassuring to see non-sports programming doing well.

With TV spots at $1.8 Million, it’s nice to think that programming like The Academy Awards continues to be  somewhat “DVR Proof.” And while ABC shouldn’t rest on their laurels, the thing I find most interesting is the steady growth in Teens (12-17) and Kids (2-11). While you would expect these groups to opt for the soundbite versions online, or to be in bed early, they were up 8% and 9% respectively.

That’s not to say that online viewing isn’t an important part of this type of event. In fact, not only did Ellen’s now famous selfie crash twitter, online viewers overloaded ABC’s servers causing a streaming outage during the Oscars.

It’s clear that the demand is there, but it seems ABC has some improvements to make with their streaming product. Perhaps they can take some tips from NBC, where users of Olympic events and coverage online was up 29% from the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.

As viewership continues to shift from TV to streaming, even impacting live events (and live tv ratings), it’s important that content providers continue to evolve the technology that delivers to users, and further advance advertising opportunities. Likewise, advertisers need to continue to shift budgets accordingly. The opportunities are actually pretty exciting.