In the current volatile economic environment, consumers are shifting their money from higher-risk investment accounts into more conservative savings and non-interest checking accounts, according to the quarterly Market Audit from Nielsen Claritas. Based on findings in the 4th quarter of 2008, the Market Audit, a comprehensive assessment of the financial products being used, the opportunity exists for financial institutions to attract new customers and retain existing ones by offering low-risk accounts such as fixed interest savings accounts, variable interest money market accounts and CDs, together with non-interest checking accounts. Although …

Roger Entner, SVP, Head of Research and Insights, Telecom Practice
With the telecom landscape in constant flux, carriers continue to find unique ways to add to their bottom lines. While the Kindle, Amazon’s wireless reading device , has been touted as a savior for the newspaper industry, it also represents the first example of the long-predicted ad hoc subscription model for Sprint, which provides the wireless access for Kindle as subsidized by Amazon. Sales of the Kindle drove a majority of Sprint’s 394,000 wholesale additions …

On Friday, May 22, Nielsen Vice Chair Susan Whiting sat down with Fox Business News to discuss the latest television viewership data, which shows that Americans are watching more TV than ever.

On May 28, Susan Whiting also published an editorial for The Huffington Post.

CBS’s “Two And A Half Men-Special” and “CSI: Miami-Special” were the number one and number three-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV Monday, May 25, 2009 with 9.3 and 7.8 million average viewers.
NBC’s “Medium-Special” was ranked second with 7.9 million average viewers.

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
FOX
WEDNESDAY
28,838,000

2
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
FOX
TUESDAY
23,822,000

3
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
TUESDAY
20,311,000

4
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
MONDAY
19,166,000

5
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
TUESDAY
16,820,000

6
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
16,505,000

7
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
MONDAY
16,183,000

8
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
MONDAY
14,197,000

9
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
WEDNESDAY
13,986,000

10
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
CBS
MONDAY
12,871,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (May 18, 2009 – May 24, 2009)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
NBA PLAYOFFS ON ABC-SAT 3
ABC
SATURDAY
3,119,000

2
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
FOX
WEDNESDAY
2,361,000

3
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
MONDAY
2,014,000

4
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
TUESDAY
1,997,000

5
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
FOX
TUESDAY
1,762,000

6
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
MONDAY
1,722,000

7
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
TUESDAY
1,603,000

8
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
WEDNESDAY
1,495,000

9
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
1,468,000

10
WITHOUT A TRACE
CBS
TUESDAY
1,412,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (May 18, 2009 – May 24, 2009)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE MON-05/18/2009
UNI
MONDAY
5,000,000

2
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE TUE-05/19/2009
UNI
TUESDAY
4,973,000

3
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE THU-05/21/2009
UNI
THURSDAY
4,544,000

4
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE WED-05/20/2009
UNI
WEDNESDAY
4,339,000

5
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE FRI-05/22/2009
UNI
FRIDAY
4,325,000

6
CRISTINA MON-05/18/2009
UNI
MONDAY
4,256,000

7
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL MON-05/18/2009
UNI
MONDAY
3,861,000

8
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL TUE-05/19/2009
UNI
TUESDAY
3,712,000

9
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL WED-05/20/2009
UNI
WEDNESDAY
3,586,000

10
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL THU-05/21/2009
UNI
THURSDAY
3,381,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (May 18, 2009 – May 24, 2009)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
NBA PLAYOFFS (CAVALIERS/MAGIC)
TNT
SUNDAY
8,969,000

2
NBA PLAYOFFS-CONF FNLS L (NUGGETS/LAKERS)
ESPN
TUESDAY
8,085,000

3
NBA PLAYOFFS-CONF FNLS L (NUGGETS/LAKERS)
ESPN
THURSDAY
7,886,000

4
NBA PLAYOFFS (MAGIC/CAVALIERS)
TNT
WEDNESDAY
7,321,000

5
NBA PLAYOFFS (MAGIC/CAVALIERS)
TNT
FRIDAY
6,910,000

6
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
MONDAY
5,200,000

7
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
MONDAY
5,032,000

8
NCIS
USA
SATURDAY
4,151,000

9
SPONGEBOB
NICK
SATURDAY
3,917,000

10
NCIS
USA
MONDAY
3,911,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (May 18, 2009 – May 24, 2009)

CBS’s “Flashpoint”, “Numb3rs” and “Ghost Whisperer” were the top three-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV with an average audience of approximately 6.5, 6.4 and 5.9 million viewers Friday, May 22, 2009.

For the period April 13 through May 10, brand placements in the reality shows The Amazing Race, Celebrity Apprentice, and American Idol featured strong product placement recall. While the Amazing Race’s integration of Travelocity posted the highest index, American Idol’s partnerships with Coca Cola and Ford accounted for five of the top 10 most recalled placements.

Most Recalled In-Program Placements: Reality Show April 13-May 10

RANK
Brand
In-Program Placement Description
Program Airing Info
Recall Index

1
Travelocity
Online travel service awards Galapagos Islands trip to Tammy and Victor for arriving in first place
The Amazing …