We’ve all gone to the grocery store and seen them: the boxes of cookies, crackers and other snacks that offer small packs of our favorite treats that limit calorie intake to 100 calories. Given the amount of shelf space these products take up, it would be a fair assumption that these items generate a fair amount of sales.  But the fact is that these products comprise a fairly small share of the huge, multi-billion dollar snack category. And with a high cost-per-ounce, the price premium for these products may be …

Last year’s matchup between the Patriots and the Giants was viewed by a record 97.5 million people in the U.S. As expected, the Super Bowl was the most-watched TV broadcast in 2008. Networks broadcasting the Super Bowl often use the game as a lead-in for one of their regular shows. This year, NBC will broadcast a one-hour episode of The Office. Last year, 29.1 million viewers stuck around after the game to watch an episode of House on FOX.

Year
Super Bowl
Avg. viewers
in millions
Show After Game
Avg. viewers
in millions

2008
FOX – …

Oprah Winfrey starts trends.  When her book club features a book, chances are good that it will be a bestseller.  When she mentions a product on her talk show, millions of viewers will check that product out.
Earlier this month, Oprah discussed healthy living with her regular guest Dr. Mehmet Oz, who presented his “Ultimate Health Checklist,” which included three points about eating:
Know the five ingredients to avoid (high fructose corn syrup, sugar, enriched flour, trans fat, saturated fats)
The healthy foods to add to your diet

Antioxidants (Dr. Oz recommends tomatoes, broccoli, …

While newspapers across the country face a declining number of subscribers, traffic to the top 10 online newspapers grew 16 percent in December 2008 versus a year ago, according to new research from Nielsen Online.
NYTimes.com continued to be the number one online newspaper, with 18.2 million unique visitors.  USATODAY.com and washingotnpost.com took maintained the number two and three ranks, respectively.

Site
Dec-07 (000)
Dec-08 (000)
% Change

Top 10 Online Newspapers
34,602
40,093
16

NYTimes.com
17,177
18,187
6

USATODAY.com
9,939
11,420
15

washingtonpost.com
8,478
9,470
12

LA Times
4,607
7,963
73

Wall Street Journal Online
5,409
7,235
34

Daily News Online Edition
2,956
5,883
99

Chicago Tribune
3,891
5,235
35

New York Post
2,851
4,557
60

Boston.com
4,364
4,086
-6

SFGate.com/SF Chronicle
2,785
3,503
26

Source: Nielsen Online (January 26, 2009)

“December was an extremely active month in terms …

The 2008 Super Bowl was the highest-rated TV show in the U.S. for the year and was viewed by a record 97.5 million people – more than any previous Super Bowl. And, as expected, 42.9 percent of those viewers were males 18 years and older (45.8 million viewers). However, according to The Nielsen Company, 37.7 million women over the age of 18 were also watching. In the last 10 years, the percentage of women watching the Super Bowl between the ages of 18-54 has increased by 8 percent.
Despite this …

Over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn medications save the U.S. healthcare system $757 million each year — by reducing office visits, Nielsen and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) reported in a study released on January 26th.
At an individual level, OTC heartburn remedies save the average American $174 each year — in office visits and medication costs.
Nielsen and CHPA’s joint study also found that 94% of all patients report being satisfied with available OTC heartburn medications.
More than half (61%) of consumers surveyed by Nielsen and CHPA reported treating their heartburn without discussing symptoms with …

Movie buzz is up following the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the nominations for the Academy Awards, but in recent years viewership for many award shows (including the Oscars) has actually been declining. Is it the host? The length of the broadcast? Or does it have something to do with the movies themselves?
According to a recent study by Nielsen Preview, viewership of the Academy Awards is directly impacted by the box office draw of the best picture nominees and the popularity of the host.
During the 2004 Academy Awards (hosted by …

For the second week in a row, the Kevin James comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” led the box office with $21.6M in earnings. Newcomer “Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans” clawed to second with $20.8M. Oscar nominees for best picture were reward with a box office surge as “Slumdog Millionaire” pulled in $3.6M more than last week, and “Benjamin Button” turned back the clock with a return into the top 10, bringing in more than $6M the weekend after nominations were announced.

RANK
Title
Studio
Weekend Gross
Jan 19-25
Total Gross
Thru Jan …

Between 2001 and 2008, more than 35,500 new stores – from warehouse clubs, supercenters and home improvement to convenience and grocery – opened around the U.S.  And while almost all categories of stores showed significant growth (except for drug stores, toy stores and electronics stores, which actually contracted) during the eight years studied, some formats showed greater promise than others.  According to new findings from Nielsen, the economic turmoil of the last year or so has already had a profound effect on the …

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas provided another exciting look into the future of electronics.  Two prevailing themes were that convergence – the long talked-about concept of uniting entertainment and information, and media with Internet – has truly and finally arrived, and that sleekness and multi-function capability is the new industry mantra.
HDTV flat screen televisions dominated, with 3D, Internet-enabled and ultra-thin and flexible screens on display.  New sets with on-screen interactive “widgets” to click to additional information and services were demonstrated by Yahoo!, Intel and Samsung.  Using this …