Obama's address watched on TV by 43 million

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 25, 2011.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Almost 43 million Americans tuned in to watch President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech live on television, according to TV ratings provider Nielsen.

In a 61-minute address on Tuesday evening that was carried live on 11 U.S. and Spanish-language television stations, Obama stressed the need to freeze spending and find common ground with Republicans to boost growth and create jobs.

Nielsen said on Wednesday that 42.8 million viewers watched the speech live -- an 11 percent drop from Obama's TV audience for his 2010 State of the Union address, which drew 48 million people.

The U.S. president's emotionally charged speech this month at a memorial to victims of the deadly shooting rampage in Arizona commanded an audience of 31 million across seven U.S. networks.

By comparison, "American Idol" -- the most-highly rated entertainment show on U.S. television -- currently attracts about 24 million viewers per episode.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, editing by Stacey Joyce)