BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The Golden Globes telecast got the best of Jack Bauer on Monday night. In the ratings, that is.
The Globes, on NBC, grabbed 20 million viewers, while FOX's "24" pulled in 15.7 million. It was the second year in a row the awards show came out on top.
For the Globes, whose winners included Helen Mirren, Eddie Murphy, America Ferrera and Sacha Baron Cohen, the viewer turnout continued a modest rally in the ratings.
It was the second straight year the Golden Globes has drawn a bigger audience than the year before, Nielsen Media Research said in its preliminary ratings on Tuesday.
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After bottoming out at 16.8 million viewers in 2005, the Globes reached 18.8 million last year before rising again on Monday. The awards show's biggest audience ever was 24.5 million viewers who watched in 1998, the year of "Titanic," Nielsen said.
Heading into Oscars season, the Globes offered a mixed picture for the film industry, with Murphy of "Dreamgirls," Mirren of "The Queen" and Cohen of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" all taking home acting trophies.
Rising star Ferrera was named best comic actress on TV, with her ABC show "Ugly Betty" honored as best comedy.
The audience for "24" was also an upgrade in the ratings, rising from the 14.9 million who watched last season's first episode.
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