Despite the mixed reviews, Hugh Jackman turned out to be a great host for this year’s Academy Awards, and he has the ratings to prove it.

According to Nielsen estimates of the nation’s top markets, Sunday night's 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony which was aired on ABC, climbed 13 percent to 36.3 million viewers (from the 32 million who watched in 2008). Viewership was up in all age groups, and the biggest increases were among men ages 18 to 34.

Overall, ABC dominated the night on Sunday while Fox was runner-up with live Nascar coverage throughout prime time (9.7 million). CBS earned third place with “60 Minutes” at 7 (9.2 million) and “The Amazing Race” at 8 (7.8 million). NBC finished in fourth place.

Although the ratings boost is good news for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sunday's ceremony was still among the three least-watched Oscars of all time. This year's Oscar audience also topped the 2003 show (33.0 million).

While last year’s 2008 Oscars were shadowed by the writers’ strike and became the least-watched in the history of the program in the U.S., the awards’ all-time high was reached in 1998 when 55 million people tuned in for a ceremony dominated by “Titanic.” Two years ago, 40.2 million viewers watched the awards.

The always charming Hugh Jackman hosted the evening’s events, impressing the audience with his singing and dancing skills. He was accompanied on stage by Anne Hathaway in the opening number and later in the evening by Beyonce, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried.