Judging by social media activity, Sunday night’s Oscars were a huge success. Preliminary ratings released by Nielsen (via the Los Angeles Times) seemed to confirm this. The preliminary ratings aren’t completely reliable when it comes to live events, but they do indicate a 9% increase in viewing numbers from last year. Later in the day, CNN announced the final ratings – up 7% from last year, which is a promising uptick for a show that’s been slumming it for the past couple of years. Looks like Ellen has one more reason to celebrate this week – with pizza, of course.

Ellen Degeneres, Portia de Rossi, Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Ellen has two more reasons to celebrate today.

In Nielsen's 56 metered markets, the 86th annual Academy Awards broadcast brought in a household rating of 27.9 from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., up 7% from last year and marking the highest number since 2005. Calling on Ellen to host wasn’t exactly a risky decision, with the host’s near universal appeal, but it certainly paid off well for producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

The show has even gained the approval of last year’s host – the much more controvercial Seth Macfarlane. "I thought Ellen was great. I thought she was great the last time" in 2007, too, MacFarlane said Monday for USA Today.

Seth MacFarlane, Golden Globes Party
Even Seth MacFarlate tipped his hat to Degeneres.

The Family Guy creator, who is currently working on his new show, Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, as well as directing the upcoming A Million Ways to Die in the West. Said that while he didn’t have time to see the whole show, the bits he did catch were pretty great. He also said that the comparisons between his edgier style and Ellen’s kind of comedy was somewhat pointless: "Everyone who hosts that show has their fans and their detractors. I think it's all pretty par for the course."