Is football more popular than ever? If last weekend was an indication then it very well may be. FOX’s 4pm NFL telecast drew 25.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening Sunday NFL game since at least 1987.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “there are no second acts in American lives,” but this past week quarterbacks Michael Vick and Brett Favre embarked on their second and third acts, respectively, and in doing so turned the sports world upside down.
Last Thursday, when the Eagles announced the signing of Michael Vick during a preseason game, it set off a media storm locally and nationally. The game itself was seen by 647,000 viewers in Philadelphia, a 63% increase over the Eagles’ first pre-season game in 2008. Recent online buzz was also high. According …

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, …

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 …

In the run-up to Super Bowl XLIII, Nielsen has compiled a list of the 10 most-watched Super Bowls.
UPDATE: The chart below has been updated to reflect Super Bowl XLIII’s ratings

RANK
SUPER BOWL
WINNER
LOSER
AVG # OF VIEWERS
P2+

1
2009
Pittsburgh
Arizona
98,732,000

2
2008
New York
New England
97,448,000

3
1996
Dallas
Pittsburgh
94,080,000

4
2007
Indianapolis
Chicago
93,184,000

5
1986
Chicago
New England
92,570,000

6
1993
Dallas
Buffalo
90,990,000

7
2006
Pittsburgh
Seattle
90,745,000

8
1998
Denver
Green Bay
90,000,000

9
1994
Dallas
Buffalo
90,000,000

10
2004
New England
Carolina
89,795,000

Source: 2009 The Nielsen Company

Read Nielsen’s complete Super Bowl report.

For many NFL fans, Conference Championship Sunday is the best weekend for football.
In about the time it takes to watch the Super Bowl- with its 30-minute halftime and extended commercial breaks- fans can enjoy two championship-caliber games.
A Nielsen duplication study reveals that 66% of the households that tuned in to last year’s Conference Championships saw BOTH games, with 85% of the AFC’s audience also watching a portion of the NFC game, and 75% of the NFC audience watching the earlier AFC game.
This year’s matchups have their work cut out to top …

RANK
PROGRAM
NETWORK
DAYS
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
15,209,000

2
NFL REGULAR SEASON – L (STEELERS/REDSKINS)
ESPN
MONDAY
14,205,000

3
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
13,172,000

4
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
12,409,000

5
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
11,299,000

6
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
11,039,000

7
AMERICAS ELECTION HQ
FOXNC
TUESDAY
9,454,000

8
AMERICAS ELECTION HQ
FOXNC
TUESDAY
9,322,000

9
ELECTION NIGHT 08(S)-11/04/2008
CNN
TUESDAY
8,522,000

10
AMERICAS ELECTION HQ
FOXNC
TUESDAY
8,304,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (November 3 – 9, 2008).

At 70 million copies sold — and counting, since its release in 1988, “Madden NFL Football” is the most popular sports video game of all time.
What’s driving the wild success of EA Sports’ star product? 
A marketing vision that combines a deep understanding of the game’s core fan base with an innovative, “three-screen” strategy that leverages TV, online, and mobile phone outlets for the game, Matt Foran of Nielsen Sports, writes in the November issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter.

According to data from Nielsen IAG, a Disney Parks ad inviting consumers to visit Disney theme parks for birthday celebrations was the most liked new “traditional” ad during the four weeks between September 15 and October 12, 2008.
Likeability refers to the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” after viewing it, among those who are able to recall an ad’s brand.

Each week, Nielsen Sports analysts offer their take on the biggest sports media headlines.
This past weekend, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama faced some tough competition in Pennsylvania. 
With the Phillies playing in the World Series and college and pro football games on both Saturday and Sunday, there was no shortage of TV sports options for politics-weary Pennsylvanians, looking for a break from presidential campaigning.
The action started on Saturday in western Pennsylvania, as the Penn State Nittany Lions took on their Big 10 Rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  In nearby Pittsburgh, 20.8% of …