According to preliminary results from The Nielsen Company, CBS’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLIV attracted an average audience of 106.5 million U.S. viewers.

A study of simultaneous TV and Internet usage found that 12% of Super Bowl viewers last year also spent time on the web, at an average of 24 minutes per user.

Performers like Bruce Springsteen who performed at last year’s Super Bowl see significant boosts to album, catalog, and digital sales.

Americans are watching network TV content online mostly to catch up with programming, not as a replacement for standard TV viewing.

“The early buzz data makes one thing clear — controversy drives conversation,” said Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of digital strategy at The Nielsen Company.

According to The Nielsen Company, mobile Internet traffic in December 2009 was similar to total Internet use, with the largest audiences being seen for search, e-mail and social networking.

Nielsen’s regional experts share insights on confidence, media trends, and what next for the increasingly diverse, demanding, and connected global consumer.

More than 48 million viewers across 34 million homes tuned into to President Obama’s State of the Union address which was broadcast on 11 networks.

Facebook and The Nielsen Company today announced that Nielsen BrandLift™, which uses the Facebook platform to measure the effectiveness of online brand advertising, is now available in the UK.

Roughly 83 millions viewers tuned in to at least one minute of the telethon, which was carried live on Friday January 22, 2010 from 8:00PM to approximately 10:00PM on 33 networks.