FOX’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game and Pre-Game broadcasts claimed the number one- and number three spots, respectively, in the ranking of primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Tuesday, July 15, 2008. 
The game broadcast attracted 14,540,000 viewers — the largest audience since 2002.  Last year, 12.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the game.
NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” ranked second for the night, while ABC’s new reality series, “Wipeout,” took fourth place in the rankings.

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
FOX MLB ALL-STAR GAME(S)-07/15/2008
FOX
14,540,000

2
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
NBC
12,793,000

3
FOX MLB ALL-STAR PRE(S)-07/15/2008
FOX
10,371,000

4
WIPEOUT
ABC
8,652,000

5
CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD
NBC
7,823,000

6
NCIS
CBS
7,762,000

7
PRIMETIME: FAMILY SECRETS
ABC
6,967,000

8
BIG BROTHER 10-TUE
CBS
6,104,000

9
LAW AND …

CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” and “CSI Miami” were the number one- and number two-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Monday, July 14, 2008.
ABC’s back-to-back telecasts of “The Mole” claimed the 8th and 10th spots, while two Univision programs, “Fuego en la Sangre” (#7) and “Cristina” (#9), also made the top ten.

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
8,390,000

2
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
7,669,000

3
HOUSE-MON 9P
FOX
7,432,000

4
DATELINE NBC-MON
NBC
6,316,000

5
NASHVILLE STAR
NBC
5,935,000

6
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
5,138,000

7
FUEGO EN LA SANGRE MON
UNI
4,246,000

8
MOLE, THE
ABC
3,599,000

9
CRISTINA MON
UNI
3,045,000

10
MOLE, THE-7/14(S)-07/14/2008
ABC
2,888,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 14, 2008)

Overall, FOX edged past CBS to win the night — with …

Tuesday night’s All-Star baseball game, hosted in New York’s soon-to-be-retired Yankee Stadium, marks the end of an era.
But will that be enough to lure TV viewers?
Since 2001, Major League Baseball All-Star Game telecasts have drawn U.S. audiences ranging from 12 to 16 million viewers.  Last year’s telecast drew 12.5 million viewers — down from 2006, when 14.4 million fans tuned in.
The 2001 game claimed the largest audiences in recent memory with just over 16 million viewers, but that audience was less than half the size of those tuning in during the game’s …

In the next in a regular series of Ad Age columns, Nielsen Online Executive Vice President Pete Blackshaw examines how Canadian fast-food chain Tim Horton’s benefits from the unusually intense loyalty of its customers.
While Starbucks has struggled with store closings and customer-service failings, this coffee competitor from the North has quietly expanded, banking on its mission, its people, and its community ethos.
“Even though it’s a chain, the brand…comes across as uniquely authentic,” Blackshaw writes.  “There’s an important story behind this Tim Hortons brand. Great food, good value, strong community support …

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
5,831,000

2
BURN NOTICE
USA
5,385,000

3
SPRINT CUP RACING/CHICAGO
TNT
5,129,000

4
IN PLAIN SIGHT
USA
5,087,000

5
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
5,059,000

6
LAW & ORDER: CI (ORIG)
USA
4,899,000

7
ABC FAMILY ORIGINAL MOVIE(S)-07/13/2008 (PICTURE THIS PR)
FAM
4,270,000

8
CAMP ROCK
DSNY
4,056,000

9
SPONGEBOB
NICK
3,978,000

10
MONSTERS, INC.
DSNY
3,864,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 7, 2008 – July 13, 2008)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
NBC
12,729,000

2
WIPEOUT
ABC
10,598,000

3
BACHELORETTE, THE-7/7(S)
ABC
9,990,000

4
CSI
CBS
9,857,000

5
BACHELORETTE, THE
ABC
9,530,000

6
GREATEST AMERICAN DOG
CBS
9,528,000

7
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
9,139,000

8
SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED
FOX
8,934,000

9
HELL’S KITCHEN
FOX
8,913,000

10
CSI: NY
CBS
8,895,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 7, 2008 – July 13, 2008)

CBS’s “Flashpoint” and “Numbers” were the number one- and number two-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Friday, July 11, 2008.
NBC’s back-to-back telecasts of “Most Outrageous Moments” claimed the 6th and 7th spots, respectively.  Two Univision programs, “Al Diablo Con Guapos” (#8) and “Fuego en la Sangre” (#10), also made the top ten.

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
FLASHPOINT
CBS
8,131,000

2
NUMB3RS 9PM
CBS
6,666,000

3
DATELINE FRI
NBC
6,182,000

4
20/20-FRI
ABC
5,334,000

5
GHOST WHISPERER
CBS
5,279,000

6
MOST OUTRG MOMENTS 830P
NBC
5,230,000

7
MOST OUTRG MOMENTS 8P
NBC
4,489,000

8
AL DIABLO CON GUAPOS FRI
UNI
3,868,000

9
FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN
CW
3,719,000

10
FUEGO EN LA SANGRE FRI
UNI
3,685,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 11, 2008)

Overall, CBS won the night — with a 2.3 rating and 6,692,000 …

Adweek reported Monday that a Marco Polo-inspired commercial for the Nissan Rogue crossover SUV was the “most liked” Spanish-language TV commercial for the first half of 2008, according to Nielsen IAG.
A commercial’s likability score reflects the percentage of TV viewers who recall the brand advertised and report liking a particular ad “a lot.”  Nielsen IAG’s panel includes almost 20,000 mostly Spanish-dominant Hispanic viewers living throughout the U.S.
Barbara Zack, managing director, chief strategic officer, Nielsen IAG told Adweek that, in general, humor “usually resonates well with viewers.”  

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
NBC
12,044,000

2
WIPEOUT
ABC
9,457,000

3
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
9,128,000

4
SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED
FOX
8,756,000

5
CSI: NY
CBS
8,495,000

6
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
8,485,000

7
60 MINUTES
CBS
8,213,000

8
HOUSE-MON 9P
FOX
8,058,000

9
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
8,032,000

10
HELL’S KITCHEN
FOX
8,030,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (June 30, 2008 – July 6, 2008)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
SPRINT CUP RACING/DAYTONA
TNT
6,390,000

2
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
5,282,000

3
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
5,019,000

4
NASCAR POST RACE SHOW
TNT
4,904,000

5
LAW & ORDER: CI (ORIG)
USA
4,882,000

6
IN PLAIN SIGHT
USA
4,584,000

7
MLB SUNDAY NIGHT L (RED SOX/YANKEES)
ESPN
4,125,000

8
WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
DSNY
3,841,000

9
ARMY WIVES
LIF
3,787,000

10
LAW & ORDER: SVU
USA
3,787,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (June 30, 2008 – July 6, 2008)