More than 5.8 million U.S. households — or 5.1 percent of all homes — are not ready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting, according to Nielsen.  The Albuquerque – Santa Fe market continues to be the least prepared, with more than 12 percent of households completely unready.
Percentage of Households that Are Completely Unready For the Digital Transition

Click here to read the Nielsen’s entire DTV readiness update.

Surfing is big in Australia — but it’s not limited to the waves.  The online audience there continued to show steady growth in 2008, increasing 3.8 percent from 2007, according to Nielsen.  However, it is clear that the growth has started to slow as that country approaches saturation coverage.  Demographically, audience growth was strongest among those 65 years and older — almost 26 percent.  Females now outnumbered males in the online population (50.19 vs. 49.81) although the average male still uses the Internet more often and for a longer period …

Sales at grocery stores in the UK showed signs of life in January after several months of minimal growth. According to Nielsen, year-over-year sales growth of 6.5 percent was recorded by top grocers.
Interestingly, sales of general merchandise such as homeware, electrical and clothing showed improvement after months of softness. Over 2008, average growth in this category was just over 2 percent; in January 2009, sales grew 4.4 percent.
“Non-foods have struggled in supermarkets for months and it was one of the first categories to suffer as shoppers cut back …

It’s no surprise that chocolate sales pick up around Valentine’s Day.  Giving one’s sweetheart a box of chocolate candies has been associated with the holiday for generations.  During Valentine’s week, consumers will buy more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy, ringing up $345 million in sales and accounting for 5.1 percent of total annual sales according to Nielsen.
Sale of sparkling wines also pop during the week: more than $8.6 million in sales are recorded during the week, the fourth-largest holiday for sales of bubbly after New Year’s, Christmas and …

Final results released by The Nielsen Company show that the Super Bowl matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals was the most watched Super Bowl ever, eclipsing last year’s thriller between New York and New England.

Nielsen’s Pete Blackshaw has been following consumer buzz in blogs, Twitter tweets and more surrounding the peanut butter Salmonella scare. In this video, he offers practical defensive branding tips and tactical advice.

Related Post:
Consumers Spread Word Of Peanut Butter Recall Online

As consumers work hard to make their money go further, stores are feeling a hit.  But supercenters are actually benefiting.  Nielsen’s analysis of 2008 unit sales shows that nearly every department in supercenters showed growth, including dairy, dry grocery and prescription drugs.  In fact, the supercenter channel was the only retail channel to post overall unit sales growth, albeit a modest one percent.
“Mass merchandisers and grocery stores are feeling the impact of the supercenter,” said Todd Hale, senior vice president, Consumer & Shopper Insights for Nielsen.  “While the grocery channel …

Even in a recession, sales of most men’s hair care products are expected to remain steady, according to data from Nielsen’s Homescan Consumer Facts report.  As male vanity continues to be all the rage, some sectors have shown solid growth: hair coloring grew 5.7 percent in 2008 over 2007, and in that year, growth was a miniscule 1.7 percent after two successive years of declining sales.   New products such as brush-in gel and liquid colorings drove last year’s growth.
Dollar sales of hair preparations such as gels, pomade and waxes slowed …

Josh Tanz
The music industry has seen vast changes since 2000. Album sales have dropped precipitously year over year while both legal and illegal online music downloads have skyrocketed. Apple’s iTunes store has sold over 6 billion songs while the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued over 35,000 illegal music content distributors.

In the last month, though, the music industry has entered a new era. Beginning December 19th the RIAA stopped issuing new lawsuits. On January 6th, Apple announced it will allow unlimited copying of their files. Essentially, …

China – one of the world’s fastest growing economies in recent years – has not been immune to the recession sweeping the global economy.  Its export-driven economy has slowed, and unemployment is growing.  The Chinese government has introduced a stimulus package and is encouraging citizens to spend more.  But whether they actually do so may require a change in cultural dynamics.  Without the social safety net of Western countries, the average Chinese family saves about 30 percent of its income (most American families save almost nothing).
How China shifts from an export …