Canadian and Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby tops the list (N-Score 26) along with his fellow countrymen Chicago Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews (14), New Jersey Devils’ Martin Brodeur (12) and fellow Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury (11). The Americans don’t quite earn a hat trick with only two players in the top 10—Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Modano (20) and Buffalo Sabres’ Tim Connolly (13) – tying with Russia’s Alex Ovechkin (16) and Evgeni Malkin (12).

“Canadians are known for producing some of the best hockey players. In terms of lasting brands, they certainly have the power play, with eight of the top 10 retired players hailing from Canada,” said Stephen Master, VP Nielsen Sports. “While Sidney Crosby—who’s been revered as one of the best current hockey players in the world—is leaving his mark, Wayne Gretzky is still the brand to beat. A venerable name, Gretzky skates to the top of the list with an N-Score of 203, almost five times greater than his closest competition.”

Methodology
Using the combined research expertise of Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, N-Score is an in-depth look at a sports figure’s overall endorsement potential, factoring in the attributes and demographic measures that align brands with endorsers. E-Poll maintains a national online panel of 250,000 people age 13 and up. Each individual N-Score National survey is administered to 1,100 people within that panel via the Internet. The sample is representative of the general population based on gender, income, age, and education

Stephen Master, Vice President, Nielsen Sports

SUMMARY: 2009 was a record-breaking year for U.S. sports television, featuring the most-viewed Super Bowl ever, the most-viewed Stanley Cup in seven years, and the most-viewed World Series in five years. What trends ignited this growth and what’s in store for 2010?

Unlike many sectors, U.S. sports television had a banner year in 2009. Viewership of major events hit record levels: Super Bowl XLIII was the most-viewed in history; the Stanley Cup was the most-viewed in seven years, followed by the World Series (most in five years).

Driving this growth were technology advances such as satellite television—now in 28.9% of U.S. homes—which spurred an 8% higher rating for network sporting events in satellite TV homes in 2009 and High Definition TV—in 33% of U.S. homes—which prompted network sporting events to receive 21% higher ratings in HD. And, of course, the Internet and sports web sites, which increased 19% from October 2008, provide fans with a virtual sports bar for online conversation. So what are the trends driving the data?

1. The Internet: Sports sites and streaming events tend to complement sports viewing rather than cannibalize it. Blogs and social networks provide fans a virtual “sports bar” for online conversation. The Nielsen TV-Internet convergence panel found that viewers visit social networks more than sports websites while watching games. But thanks in part to fantasy leagues, sports websites are still drawing big numbers: more than 88 million Americans checked out a sports site in October of 2009—that’s up 19% from October 2008.
2. Satellite TV: Satellite television providers are now in 28.9% of U.S. TV homes, and offer robust sports tiers, including league-run networks which keep fans engaged during the off-season. Take note: Homes with satellite TV score higher network ratings (8% more) for sports programming than those without satellite.
3. HDTV: It’s no secret that sports look great in High Definition, and as HD penetration continues to grow (in May 2009 HD sets were in 33% of U.S. homes), sports viewing is poised to grow in tandem. This year network sporting events received 21% higher ratings in HD.

Picking Winners for 2010? Bet on Globalization
2010 will feature two major international sporting events: the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, and the World Cup in South Africa. More than a year after the Beijing Olympics attracted 4.7 billion global viewers (211 million in the U.S.), it will be interesting to see the expanded role social media outlets will play in international media coverage and fan engagement.

Goal-den Opportunities
Globalization also presents sports properties with opportunities to grow their fan base: In 2009, the NFL televised a regular season game in London; the NHL dropped the puck in Scandinavia; and the NBA played preseason games in Europe, Asia, and Mexico. The more these leagues extend into new markets, the greater the global reach for their sponsors and advertising partners.

Meanwhile, the already global game of soccer, er, football, for most of the world, is poised again to drive towards its final frontier: the United States. On top of the stateside MLS, the British Premier League and the Champions League are now available to watch in the U.S. With the American team qualifying for the World Cup, soccer seems poised once again to make a run at mainstream American popularity. Lower ticket prices, a futbol-loving Hispanic population that’s growing in the U.S., and a young generation raised on soccer, are other trends that bode well for the sport.

On Defense: Long-Term Threats
More than half of sports fans who identify themselves as “avid fans” reported cutting back on attending sporting events due to the economy. As consumers scrutinize their discretionary income, it remains to be seen if consumer and fan confidence will come back to the stadiums once economic fears have subsided. Nielsen studies have shown that consumers are staying home more, not surprising considering the investment many sports fans are making in their HDTVs and satellite packages.

In the near future, the major sports leagues are also looking with some concern at the next generation of fans. Will they be filling those seats of all these shiny new arenas? According to Nielsen’s How Teens Use Media, teenagers actually under-index when it comes to visiting sports sites on their mobile phones compared to the rest of the population. Will that translate into a more muted engagement going forward with TV viewing, online participation, and live game attendance? Sports franchises are on the edge of their seats, wondering how the first generation born in the digital age will impact the sports world in the next inning of the digital revolution.

2010 U.S. Outlook

Part 1: Cross Media

• Big Screen, Smart Screen, Small Screen: Top 5 Cross-Media Trends
• You Can Take It With You: Future Trends In Media

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Part 2: Consumer

• Winner Winner Chicken Dinner – Top 5 Consumer Goods Spending Trends
• Innovation Creates Opportunities for CPG Growth
• Aging Puts a Wrinkle in U.S. Marketplace

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Part 3: Advertising

• Talking Back – Top Five Advertising Trends
• Get Ready for the Audience-Centric Web
• What Would John Wanamaker Say Today?

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Part 4: Entertainment

• There’s No Business Like Show Business – Top Five Entertainment Trends
• Game On – The World is Watching More Than Ever
• Video Games in Play

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.

In 2003, when the New Jersey Devils finished off the Anaheim Ducks, Game 7 was watched by 7.2 million U.S. viewers on ABC. Not only did the game attract 140% more viewers than the average of the previous six games, but it was also (and still is) the most-watched Stanley Cup Finals game since at least 1992.

The “Game 7″ effect isn’t just limited to the NHL. When Detroit and San Antonio took the NBA Finals to the limit in 2005, Game 7 was watched by 65% more viewers than the series average to date. And in the eight MLB World Series or LCS matchups to go the full seven games, since 2000, Game 7 viewership overshadowed the rest of the series’ averages each time by anywhere from 74% to 94%.

But just as important as the raw viewership for the NHL and Versus, which is available in 66% of US homes, is the brand behavior of these viewers.

With advertising dollars tight in the current economic climate, the pressure is even greater for sports leagues to demonstrate return on investment to their official partners.  Sponsors are demanding results for their integrated marketing campaigns which include commercial spots, in-game signage, as well as online and mobile extensions.

Data from Nielsen’s people meter sample fused with the respondents of MRI’s (Mediamark Research & Intelligence) Survey of the American Consumer reveals insight into product usage behavior of NHL fans.

For example, how did regular season hockey on Versus perform among groups that used products from official partners of the NHL during the first quarter of 2009?

• Verizon Cell phone users had 44% higher viewership ratings compared to the average viewer.  Verizon was the top advertiser in terms of commercial spend for NHL regular season on broadcast and cable, and also sponsors the Versus intermission report.

• Bud Light drinkers, the official beer of the NHL, had 80% higher ratings than the average U.S. viewer.

• Consumers of Reebok footwear, which sponsors the league’s jerseys and a dasherboard above the blue line in every NHL arena, had 62% higher ratings.

It’s not just about raw viewing tonnage for advertisers looking for highly targeted marketing. They count on the NHL to deliver unique fans, and translate their passion for hockey to their product.

Armed with return-on-investment tools that can provide cross-platform insights, instead of traditional age and gender demos, advertisers can focus on the NHL fan with targeted messaging that expects to make a difference at the cash register.

US TV Ratings for last year’s All-Star Game on VERSUS were up 17%, proving the NHL’s decision to move the game the first Sunday sans NFL in 5 months a wise one.

Viewership for the Skills Competition and Young Stars Game, airing on Saturday Night, was also up 26% compared to 2007.

This season, the NHL on VERSUS is up an impressive 17%, continuing hockey’s ratings renaissance.

The NHL is hoping old acquaintances will provide an unforgettable New Year’s Day in its second annual Winter Classic. The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks – two of the original six hockey teams – will drop the puck outdoors at historic Wrigley Field- home to baseball’s Chicago Cubs.

Last year’s inaugural outdoor game provided a memorable tableaux, with Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby carving through the Buffalo snow to score the winning goal in an overtime shootout in front of the NHL’s largest regular season television audience since Wayne Gretzky’s retirement in 1999.

If the NHL hopes to top last year’s Winter Classic, it certainly has the conditions in its favor. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last year in a series that was the leagues highest-rated in five years. This season, the Red Wings average a 3.5 local household rating in Detroit (aka “Hockeytown, USA”) - third among all NHL clubs.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are more than doubling their average audience in Chicago over last season with an average 1.2 household rating and 43,000 household viewers.  They’re also leading the league in attendance, thanks in part to their nine-game winning streak riding into Wrigley. And with the forecast calling for a 30% chance of snow in the Windy City Thursday, the scene may well be as visually pleasing as last year’s Classic.

The programming window for the NHL’s Winter Classic is helped in part by the Bowl Championship Series’s decision within the last decade to move three bowl games off New Year’s Day. The National Championship Game, as it has since 2007, airs a full week after the first of the year, with this year’s contest between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners kicking off January 8 on FOX.

Nevertheless, college football continues to dominate New Year’s Day television with a slate of bowl games across four networks.  Last year’s Rose Bowl on ABC was seen by over 19 million viewers, tops for any program on New Year’s Day.  The top 6 most-viewed sports programs of New Year’s Day were all bowl games, followed by the Winter Classic.