Each week, Nielsen Sports’ analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.
Angels/Red Sox Match-Up Tops Division Series TV Ratings
The third game of the Los Angeles Angels v. Boston Red Sox drew the largest television audience of the division series: 6.2 million viewers. The three other games in that contentious series also made the top ten — with average TV audiences of approximately 5.7 million (game four), 5.3 million (game two), and 4.4 million viewers (game one), respectively.
After the jump, view complete national ratings from the division series games, aired …
CBS’s “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY” were the number one- and two-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Wednesday, October 8, 2008, drawing average audiences of almost 16.2 million and 15.9 million viewers.
FOX’s “Bones” rounded out the top three, with almost 10.6 million average viewers Wednesday night.
RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)
1
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
16,185,000
2
CSI: NY
CBS
15,873,000
3
BONES
FOX
10,559,000
4
OLD CHRISTINE
CBS
7,526,000
5
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
7,400,000
6
GARY UNMARRIED
CBS
7,357,000
7
KNIGHT RIDER
NBC
6,856,000
8
BIGGEST LOSER 6 10/8(S)-10/08/2008
NBC
6,556,000
9
DIRTY SEXY MONEY
ABC
5,852,000
10
PUSHING DAISIES
ABC
5,501,000
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 8, 2008).
Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of almost 13.2 million viewers, while FOX took second place with just over 7.4 million average viewers. ABC …
[read more]Advertising by credit card services companies dipped significantly in the first three weeks of September, as the ongoing economic turmoil in the U.S. reached a boiling point, Nielsen Monitor-Plus reported Thursday.
Among credit card services companies, TV ad units for Sept. 1 – 21, 2008 were down by almost 24% versus the same time period last year.
Most of the top advertisers in the Credit Card Services category — including Capital One, Discover, Synovus, Washington Mutual, and Visa — reduced their TV television advertising activity in September.
Earlier in 2008, advertising by credit card …
This year, U.S. consumers are expected to spend more than $98 billion during the November-December holiday retail season, Nielsen reported Thursday.
Nielsen’s holiday retail forecast predicts a 4.7% gain in dollar sales over 2007. Unit sales, however, are expected to be virtually flat (-0.8%) versus a year ago.
The forecast includes projected sales at food stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers, and convenience stores, across 125 product categories tracked by Nielsen.
With the economy in turmoil, the 2008 holiday season will be closely watched for indications of declining consumer spending. Declines in consumer spending were …
Although this year’s holiday season comes on the heels of exceptional economic turmoil, U.S. consumers are expected to spend $98 billion during November and December — a 4.7% gain in dollar sales over the 2007 holiday retail season, according to Nielsen.
NielsenWire recently spoke with the co-author of Nielsen’s holiday retail forecast, James Russo, Vice President of Food Sector Marketing, Nielsen.
NielsenWire: What is the forecast for 2008 holiday shopping season*?
James Russo:
All consumer, economic, and trade indications point to a flat-to-declining holiday selling season across the core consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories …
On Tuesday night, 63.2 million U.S. viewers watched the second presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.
The TV audience for the senators’ second meeting easily surpassed that of their first debate, which drew an audience of 52.4 million on Friday, Sept. 26.
During the previous presidential campaign, 46.7 million viewers tuned in for President Bush and John Kerry’s second debate on Oct. 8, 2004.
See more historical debate ratings.
CBS’s “NCIS” was the number one-ranked primetime telecast on broadcast TV for Tuesday, October 7, 2008, drawing an audience of almost 16.3 million average viewers.
ABC’s special presentation of “Dancing With The Stars” claimed second place, with almost 15.1 million viewers. ABC’s post-debate analysis of the second McCain/Obama presidential debate rounded out the top three, with just over 9.9 million viewers.
Post-debate coverage on NBC, CBS, and FOX also made the top ten.
RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)
1
NCIS
CBS
16,288,000
2
DANCING W/STARS RESULT SP(S)-10/07/2008
ABC
15,065,000
3
VOTE2008:ANALYSIS-TUE(S)-10/07/2008
ABC
9,917,000
4
DECISION ‘08:PRES ANALYS2(S)-10/07/2008
NBC
8,349,000
5
CAMPAIGN ‘08-DEBATE ANL-2(S)-10/07/2008
CBS
7,951,000
6
BIGGEST LOSER 6
NBC
7,265,000
7
HOUSE
FOX
6,365,000
8
FUEGO EN LA SANGRE TUE
UNI
5,634,000
9
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL TUE
UNI
4,637,000
10
FOX NEWS: …
The combined overall household rating for Tuesday night’s second presidential debate, in 55 of the 56 local television markets where Nielsen maintains electronic TV meters, was 42.1.
In comparison, the first debate between Senators McCain and Obama received a much lower household rating (34.7) in the top 55 local TV markets. Last week’s V.P. debate received a 45.0 household rating in the top 55 markets.
One rating point equals 1% of the total TV audience in a given market.
The Nashville market, where the debate was held, had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 59.2, while the Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California market had …
If book sales were electoral votes, the U.S. presidential election would hardly be a close contest.
So far in 2008, four books published by Sen. Barack Obama between 2004 and fall 2008 have sold a combined 912,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan.
In comparison, Sen. John McCain’s five titles, published between 1999 and summer 2008, have sold a total of 116,000 copies — almost 800,000 copies less than Obama.
Between January and September 21, 2008, McCain’s top selling book, “Faith of My Fathers,” sold 73,000 copies in hardcover, paperback, and audio editions.
Obama’s top …
ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” was the number one-ranked primetime telecast on broadcast TV for Monday, October 6, 2008.
CBS’s “Two and a Half Men,” “CSI: Miami,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Worst Week” dominated the next five slots in Nielsen’s ranking.
RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)
1
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
18,592,000
2
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
14,073,000
3
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
13,884,000
4
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
9,394,000
5
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
8,977,000
6
WORST WEEK
CBS
8,848,000
7
BOSTON LEGAL
ABC
8,746,000
8
HEROES
NBC
8,198,000
9
CHUCK
NBC
5,832,000
10
TERMINATOR: SRH CNR CHRON
FOX
5,726,000
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 6, 2008).
Overall, ABC won the night with an average audience of just over 15.3 million viewers, while CBS took …
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