Sunday’s broadcast of the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, which featured wins by the TV show “30 Rock,” the film “Slumdog Millionaire,” actor Mickey Rourke, and actress Kate Winslet, drew nearly 14.9 million U.S. viewers.
By comparison, the 2004 Golden Globes drew the largest U.S. television audience (26.8 million viewers) of any Golden Globes telecast in the past 10 years.
Last year’s Golden Globe Awards – aired as a one-hour press conference, due to an ongoing “writers’ strike” – drew just over 6 million viewers.
View Golden Globes TV ratings from 1998 to 2008, below.

Sales in the British grocery sector picked up over the holidays, but were largely negated by weak sales at the beginning of December, Nielsen reported last week.
Growth (by value) of British food sales for the four-week period ending December 27 was up by 2.6% year-over-year overall and by 4.5% year-over-year for grocery multiples.
“The consumer was much more cautious this year, and it was a back to basics Christmas,” Mike Watkins, senior manager, retailer services, Nielsen, noted.  “Sales of packaged grocery (+11%), frozen (+10%), and confectionery (+8%) were buoyant, while sales of …

With 2009 underway, so, too, is the race for millions of Americans to meet their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s trimming love handles, lowering cholesterol, or stomping out cigarettes for good, consumers are more likely to sample new products and services that help them practice healthier habits. And advertisers are especially eager to help.
The first month of the year is not surprisingly the most popular advertising month for these “resolution” companies. Last January, they spent over $181 million on advertising for products and services related to weight loss and smoking deterrents. …

Neuroscience has a surprise for marketers: the way we are neurologically wired can actually prevent us from accurately reporting what we really think and remember, when asked.
Writing in the January issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter, Palak Patel of NeuroFocus Inc., explains that the real truth lies beyond the reach of typical consumer research methods, like surveys and focus groups — in the subconscious mind.
According to Patel, answers are essentially corrupted information — biased by the conscious mind, which is influenced by everything from what language you speak to …

Nielsen Online’s latest Automotive Industry Overview shows that gas prices and the economy were key topics of online discussion in 2008. More than one million messages focused on gas, as consumers discussed strategies for dealing with a $4 per gallon price tag. The financial crisis and its impact on the big three automakers also fueled conversation, as consumers began looking into more fuel-efficient vehicles. Though alternative fuel/hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt and Ford Fusion hybrid generated substantial buzz in 2008, high MPG was only one hot …

In its first weekend of wide release, Clint Eastwood’s latest drama “Gran Torino” ruled the box office for the weekend of January 9-11, bringing in nearly $29.5M. Industrywide, the first weekend of the 2009 boxoffice year marked a 4% improvement over the same frame last year with $146 million in collective grosses, according to Nielsen EDI data. More at The Hollywood Reporter.

RANK
Title
Studio
Weekend Gross
Jan 9-11
Total Gross

1
GRAN TORINO
WARNER BROS.
$29,484,388
$40,524,518

2
BRIDE WARS
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
$21,058,173
$21,058,173

3
THE UNBORN
UNIVERSAL
$19,810,585
$19,810,585

4
MARLEY & ME
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
$11,391,425
$123,751,596

5
BENJAMIN BUTTON
PARAMOUNT
$9,212,515
$94,092,395

6
BEDTIME STORIES
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
$8,802,120
$97,432,093

7
VALKYRIE
MGM STUDIOS
$6,617,065
$71,464,448

8
YES MAN
WARNER BROS.
$6,032,337
$89,288,024

9
NOT EASILY BROKEN
SONY PICTURES
$5,314,278
$5,314,278

10
SEVEN POUNDS
SONY …

Change is quietly shaking up rural America — both the traditional economic base (farming) and the ethnic composition (strongly skewed to non-Hispanic whites) are rapidly diversifying.
With roughly one-third of the total U.S. population and at least three-quarters of the country’s land area, rural America is a diverse and important marketplace for marketers of consumer products, Doug Anderson, EVP, Research & Development, Nielsen, argues in the January issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter.
Marketers intent on reaching rural Americans should pay attention to marked differences in media usage and consumer preferences that …

There’s been no shortage of criticism surrounding the College Football postseason – even the President-elect threw in his two cents – but there’s no denying the bowl season still generates a huge amount of viewer interest.
There is no better bellwether than this year’s BCS National Championship between Oklahoma and Florida. Last night’s FedEx BCS National Championship received a 15.8 rating, up 16% from last year’s game.
In the metered markets, Oklahoma City had the highest local rating, with 51.7% of the Sooners’ home DMA tuning into the game. Five local Florida …

Pete Blackshaw, EVP Digital Strategic Services, and Sue MacDonald a Research Manager for Nielsen Online discuss the online buzz (from Live Blogging to how the economy effects technology to the next steps in convergence) around the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show.

If 2008 is any indicator, 2009 should be a stellar year for 3-D — with Hollywood studios, movie theaters, and Video On Demand poised to reap the rewards.
Despite ticket prices of up to $25, audiences flocked to 3-D premium offerings in 2008. Several blockbusters, like “The Dark Knight,” also benefited from the premium pricing associated with Imax viewing. 3-D offerings also fared well in complimentary areas; preliminary numbers indicate the “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds” 3-D video-on-demand concert on STARZ On Demand has already garnered hundreds of …