Seth MacFarlane, creative force behind the TV series “Family Guy” and director of the feature film “Ted,” will host the 85th Academy Awards scheduled for Feb. 24 on Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ABC network.

MacFarlane, 38, will work with Oscars producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced today in a release on its website.

The Oscars routinely rank among the most-watched entertainment TV shows each year. The 2012 program, in which “The Artist” was crowned best picture, attracted 39.3 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen. The 2011 Oscars, with 37.9 million viewers, was the most-watched program that year after the Super Bowl and pro football playoffs.

Disney, based in Burbank, California, fell 0.4 percent to $52.07 at the close in New York. The stock has gained 39 percent this year.

MacFarlane made his film directorial debut this year with “Ted,” a Universal Pictures comedy featuring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. The movie, made for about $50 million, took in $434 million ticket sales worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, a film researcher.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net