Oscars draws fourth highest US TV audience of 2002

The Oscars ceremony drew the fourth highest TV audience in the US this year.

The four and a half hour show averaged 41.8 million American viewers.

The ratings were the lowest since 1997.

But the show only trailed the Super Bowl - which attracted 86.8 million US viewers - the Winter Olympics opening ceremony (45.6m) and the Winter Olympics' women's figure-skating long programme (43.3m viewers), www.variety.com reports.