NEW YORK — Preliminary figures show Wednesday’s finale of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” scored its highest audience in 17 years.

The Nielsen Co. said Thursday that the final episode delivered a 13.3 household rating in the nation’s metered markets.

It was the highest number since February 1994. That’s when an “Oprah” episode called “People Shed Their Disguises” got a 13.4 rating.

Metered market ratings measure roughly half the nation and can’t be translated into audience figures. A viewer count for the “Oprah” finale won’t be available from Nielsen for two weeks.

The metered market rating for Monday’s surprise farewell episode of “Oprah” logged a 10.2. Nielsen said Tuesday’s episode got a 10.7.