"I would guess that the showing of LOTR last night was probably in the top 10 for ratings since it was commercial free and it is a very popular film. In order for TCM to survive I expect they need to boost ratings every now and then so doing movies that are more current may be necessary for the health of the channel."
They didn't show LOTR to "boost ratings", this month is Oscar month and it received 11 Academy Awards in 2004: Academy Award for Best Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Song, Visual Effects, Art Direction, Costume Design, Make-up, Sound Mixing and Film Editing.
