Apple Tops List of Hardware Sites, Rings Up Buzz in June

Anticipatory buzz around the release of the latest model of the iPhone most likely helped Apple secure the top traffic spot among hardware manufacturers in May 2009. The site drew 55.7 million unique viewers, more than double that of Hewlett Packard which attracted more than 21 million visitors.

In June, anticipation of the new iPhone 3G S sent blog mentions up 1,226 percent week-overweek on June 8, the day of the announcement. After the initial announcement, buzz dipped but again picked up after the phone became available to consumers on June 19, with blog mentions more than doubling compared to the week prior.

More hardware and gaming console data available in the Nielsen Online media release.

Supermarket Prices Still Creeping Up

Retail grocery prices in the U.S. continue to creep higher overall compared with 2008, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. The good news is price increases appear to be slowing compared with the price spikes experienced by shoppers in the spring of 2008 and 2007.

These were some of the findings from the “Supermarket Pricing Trends” study which looked at pricing of the top-selling items across 45 categories over the course of five years. It concluded by measuring the 12 weeks ending May 16 in total U.S. supermarkets.

Overall, grocery prices continue to inch up 0.44 percent compared to a year ago. The sum of average unit prices across the 45 category-leading items, which included everything from bacon to bleach to buttered crackers and hot dog buns, was $143.65.

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Movie-themed Video Games Transforming the Industry

Summer blockbuster season is in full swing, bringing with it video games tied to the latest cinematic franchises. Additionally, this spring and summer features game releases that are offshoots of the classic Batman, Ghostbusters and The Godfather franchises. Though dismissed in the past, movie games are garnering more attention in the entertainment industry as studios look to leverage the value of their franchises.

According to recent data from Nielsen’s Video Game Tracking survey, movie-themed games are driving substantial purchase interest among gamers. X-Men Origins: Wolverine tops the list in terms of total positive purchase interest (definitely or probably interested in buying) for the week of its release. It is joined at the top by several other franchises with large box office releases including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Terminator Salvation. Looking back a few months, Godfather II scored well relative to others to take second place despite the fact that the movie was released in 1974. Looking ahead, Batman: Arkham Asylum is tied for fifth place but is two months away from release at the end of August. Purchase interest will likely increase to perhaps eclipse all others on this list by the end of the summer. The much anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game based on the classic film was released last week and ranked fourth in purchase interest but outpaced all other titles in share of online buzz.

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Top 10 African-American TV Rankings: June 22 - June 28, 2009

Top 10 Broadcast TV Rankings: June 22 - June 28, 2009

Top 10 Cable TV Rankings: June 22 - June 28, 2009

Top 10 Hispanic TV Rankings: June 22 - June 28, 2009

Primetime Broadcast Ratings, June 26, 2009

NBC’s “Dateline Friday” claimed the top slot in Nielsen’s ranking of the top primetime telecasts
broadcast TV for June 26, 2009. The show drew just over 6.7 million average viewers Friday evening.

ABC’s “20/20-Friday” was the second-ranked program with approximately 6.1 million average viewers while CBS’s “Numb3rs” rounded out the top three with approximately 5.2 million average viewers.
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The Iran Election and Social Media: The New News Revolution

Analysis by Emily Luger, Nielsen Online
The Iranian election is yet another watershed moment in the ongoing evolution of news and media, further blurring the lines between being, reporting, and following the story. In the two weeks since the controversy and conflict surrounding the election, a number of insights have emerged about how the Internet and social media continue to be a transforming force for the News industry. Initial Nielsen analysis of search results provides some conclusions, while others areas beg additional probing.

Findings from an  Internet snapshot from June 18, 2009:

• CNN rarely shows up in the top five search results for select Iran Election terms, mirroring criticism from consumers that the global news network’s coverage of the Iran Election was lacking (#CNNFail).
• Wikipedia emerges within the top two search results for 4/5 of the leading topics.
• At least one social media source emerges within the top 10 search results for every term. In most cases, the social media sites emerge directly above a traditional, major news source, such as WSJ.com.

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Special Report: What Do Teens Want?

Nic Covey, director of insights for The Nielsen Company posed the question at the annual What Teens Want Conference. Experts from Brandweek, Marvel Comics, The Hollywood Reporter, and Microsoft’s Massive discussed texting, gaming, comic books, movies and more. Learn more about Nielsen’s research on teen media habits in the just-released How Teens Use Media report.