Young Adults Watch the Most TV Outside of the Home

Findings released today from The Nielsen Company show that out-of-home-television in 2008 was consumed more often by young adults age 18-24. Marquee sporting events such as the MLB World Series, the NBA Final games, as well as NFL regular season games showed the biggest draw for out-of-home television viewers, while TV programming during M-F daytime and on the weekends were watched more out-of-the-home than TV programs in other dayparts. The findings are based on data from the Nielsen and Integrated Media Measurement Inc (IMMI) out-of-home service, which captured linear television audiences outside of the home March - November 2008.

“Our work with IMMI shows that TV usage out of the home is a big component of video consumption, which Nielsen clients want to incorporate into their advertising negotiations. Nielsen is continuing to explore ways to accurately measure out of home video consumption, to provide a more complete picture of how people are watching TV. And because of the current economic conditions we are focusing our efforts on a service that will be valuable and economical to the industry,” says Marie Philippe, program manager of Out of Home measurement for The Nielsen Company.

More at MediaWeek.

Read Nielsen’s Out Of Home Viewing report.

NHL, NBA, MLB Enjoy ‘Game 7′ Effect

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t need to pick a side in tonight’s do-or-die Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. After all, history says that Bettman and the NHL have already won - at least when it comes to TV viewers.

The Nielsen Company looked back at the four Stanley Cup Finals match-ups that have gone the full seven games since 2000 and in each case, Game 7 was a ratings windfall. For example, games one through six of the 2006 finals between Edmonton and Carolina averaged 2.4 million viewers. Game 7, however, more than doubled that figure with 5.3 million viewers.

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NBA Playoffs: Where Amazing Marketing Happens

On average, NBA playoff viewership is up 18% across TNT, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC thanks in part to a pair of Conference final games. On May 26th, the Cavs and Magic pulled 10.1 million viewers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series on TNT - the most ever for an NBA Playoff game on cable and the most-watched cable telecast of the year. And the Lakers-Nuggets’ Game 4 of the Western Conference Championship Series delivered 9.7 million viewers - the most ever for a basketball game (college or pro) in ESPN’s history.

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LeBron, Cavs Top Local NBA Ratings

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the top-rated local NBA market in the first half of the season, according to an analysis released today by The Nielsen Company.

Cleveland led all NBA markets in the U.S. with an 8.1 local household rating. It’s a significant 119% jump for LeBron James and the Cavs, which ranked 9^th through the first half of last season with a 3.7 rating.

The San Antonio Spurs, who boasted the NBA’s top-rated local market last season through as recently as the first month of this season, still showed an 18% year-to-year increase in its local ratings. On average, 7.9% of TV households in the San Antonio market have tuned in to see Tim Duncan & Co. each game, compared to 6.7% over the same time period last year.

The Portland Trailblazers’ first full season with Greg Oden is generating plenty of renewed interest among its fans. The Portland market ranked third through the All-Star break with a 5.6 household rating, 27% higher than the first half of last year. 

TOP-10 LOCAL NBA MARKETS, BY HOUSEHOLD RATINGS

            Other local market highlights in the NBA this year:

• The Indiana Pacers showed the most year-to-year ratings increase through the All-Star break. The Pacers have tripled their ratings from 0.6 last year to 1.8 this year. New Orleans - led by superstar Chris Paul - saw its ratings climb 160%.
• The NBA’s two largest markets - New York and Los Angeles - have maintained the growth trend that was started earlier this year. The Knicks are up 18%, while the Lakers are up 12% and the Clippers are up 43%.

NBA Provides Key Assists To TV Advertisers

The NBA may not draw the highest ratings for nationally televised games, but it’s second only to the NFL in delivering their core fans to the TV sets, according to a new study from Nielsen PreView.

The study, which analyzed viewership data for some of America’s favorite sports, uncovered that while Major League Baseball and NBA pull in comparable audiences for nationally televised broadcast, when compared to the actual fan base in the United States, the NBA significantly outperformed most of its peers; NBA games were able to get 7.8% of its fans, on average, to sit down and view the broadcast.

The study also highlighted the strength of engagement for the sports. NFL fans, on average, watch over an hour of each televised football event; this was the only sport of the four to have over an hour of engagement per televised event.

Read the full study.

SPORTS WRAP: NBA Teams Putting Up Big Local Numbers

Less than a month into watching the NBA season, Nielsen has spotted some noticeable trends, including several teams outscoring last year’s ratings in their local markets. While the San Antonio Spurs are still the highest-rated NBA team with a 6.8 Average Household Rating in their market, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trailblazers are close behind, thanks to large increases in viewership compared to this time period last season.

NBA Local Ratings Box Score

• The New Orleans Hornets ratings are up 163% compared to a year ago, thanks in large part to last year’s come-from-nowhere victory of their division.
• In Cleveland, fans witnessed the high flying Lebron James lead the Cavs to an eight-game winning streak, which fueled a109% lift in ratings from last season.
• Atlanta and Portland, two teams loaded with young talent, have captured the attention of their markets, with a 97% and 44% increase in their local ratings respectively.
• In Orlando, Dwight Howard and the Magic are atop their division, and are also enjoying a 26% boost in viewership compared to last season.
• The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, who benefit from the nation‘s two largest markets, are also outperforming last season, with 17% and 14% increases.

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