If you have not heard of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) by now, chances are you will be hearing about it in the near future. After breaking into the mainstream with The Ultimate Fighter reality series in 2005, an analysis of online buzz shows that the UFC continues to make great strides in popularity.

Backed by cable television programming and monthly pay-per-view events, the UFC has steadily gained online buzz during the past 18 months. Since 2008, UFC buzz has trended upward and peaked with the UFC 94 event held on January 31, 2009, which featured a bout between Georges St. Pierre, the welterweight champion, and B.J. Penn, the lightweight champion.

The UFC’s growth is actually even more impressive when compared against more well established sports leagues such as the MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL and NASCAR. When comparing the first six months of 2008 to the first six months of 2009, UFC online buzz jumped 93 percent and is the only sports organization to exhibit a double digit gain.

*Buzz is compared from January 2008 through June 2008 (H108) to January 2009 through June 2009 (H109)

It is appropriate to ask how much of the UFC’s increase can be attributed to a rise in popularity for its sport, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)? Looking at the same time frame, MMA mentions increased 41 percent, which represents stronger growth than other sports, but still illustrates that the UFC brand is growing at a quicker rate.

With most fight oriented sports, intriguing match-ups and promotions are key to an event’s success. The UFC has done its best to “own” its sport by signing many of the world’s top fighters and using its octagon-shaped cage as a key branding point. Beyond these elements, the UFC also utilizes its own president, Dana White, to be the franchise’s most visible public figure. Although Dana White has received his share of heat for sometimes being too vocal, his name receives far more online buzz than commissioners from much larger sports organizations do.

*Buzz is from January 2008 through June 2009

Another key to the UFC’s success has been highly anticipated events featuring the sport’s top fighters. To celebrate its one hundredth pay-per-view match, the upcoming UFC 100 promises to be one of the biggest events in their 16 year history, featuring a heavyweight title match between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir and a middleweight title match between Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves. Although the UFC 100 event won’t be held until July 11, 2009, anticipatory buzz has already outpaced that of overall discussion for seven of the past eight pay-per-view events.

* Buzz is from November 2008 through June 2009

Becoming the “fastest growing sports franchise” is not an easy feat. Sustaining the same level of growth over time may prove to be difficult for the UFC, especially as competing MMA organizations such as Affliction and Strikeforce attempt to capitalize on the sport’s success. However, with strong events on the horizon like the UFC 100, and increased coverage by the mainstream media, the UFC appears well positioned to continue its rise to the top of the sports world.

FOX’s “American Idol” was the top TV program of 2008, according to Nielsen.  Tuesday night broadcasts of “American Idol,” through December 7, drew 15.5% of U.S. TV households, on average, while Wednesday night “American Idol” broadcasts drew an average of 15.3% of all TV households.

Viewers with DVR access gave NBC’s “Heroes” the biggest bump any primetime program received in 2008.  The average TV audience for “Heroes” increased by 35% when timeshifted viewing within seven days of a program’s original air date was factored into Nielsen’s ratings.  FOX’s “Fringe” and ABC’s “Lost” also drew large audience boosts — +26% and +25%, respectively — from DVR viewers.

The 2008 Superbowl, which drew 43.1% of all U.S. TV households, was the most popular single telecast of 2008. 

Top 10 TV Programs – Regularly Scheduled

Top 10 TV Programs – Single Telecast

Top 10 “Timeshifted” Primetime TV Programs

View the press release.

Relive the greatest hits of 2008 — stay tuned on Nielsen Wire for more Tops In 2008 coverage.

Look ahead to the new year with Nielsen Wire’s 2009 Industry Outlook series.

-The most-watched global event ever (2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: 4.7 billion viewers)

-The most-watched Super Bowl ever (Giants-Patriots, Super Bowl XLII: 97.5 million viewers)

-The most-watched cable broadcast of all time (Cowboys-Eagles, Monday Night Football: 18.6 million viewers)

-The most-watched cable golf event of all time (Tiger vs. Rocco, U.S. Open Playoff: 4.8 million viewers)

-The most-watched cable baseball game ever (Red Sox-Rays, ALCS Game 7: 13.4 million viewers)

-The most-watched NBA Finals in five years (Celtics-Lakers, NBA Championship Series average: 14.9 million viewers)

-The most-watched NHL regular season game in nine years; most-watched finals in five years (Winter Classic: 2.5 million viewers; Stanley Cup, Penguins–Red Wings average: 4.5 million viewers)

-The most-watched Wimbledon final in eight years (Federer-Nadal: 5.2 million viewers)

The surge in viewership could be attributed to the dramatic storylines behind these games and events, but Nielsen’s analysis shows that new technology is enhancing the sports fan’s experience:

-Ratings for sports events are 20% higher in homes with high-definition TV sets vs. total U.S.

-75 million people visited sports websites in October 2008

-11.6 million unique users logged more than 1.2 billion minutes on fantasy sports sites in 2008

-10.6 million U.S. mobile subscribers accessed sports content via the mobile Web in August 2008

View the full report.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in USA Today.

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It may depend on the time of the year, according to a multi-sport study from Nielsen PreView.  The research, which analyzed fan loyalty for more than a dozen sports found that while some fans are fully dedicated to one sport, many have competing loyalties that affect their engagement with each sport. 

For instance, while NCAA Basketball season begins in the fall – when baseball and football are also on the sports scene, February and March are the prime months when basketball fans are most engaged in their sport.

Sports sponsorship and licensing is at least a $17 billion business in the U.S., Nielsen PreView’s study notes.  With stakes that big, being able to gauge fan engagement across a variety of sports – in order to time ad spending – is no mere game.

View Nielsen PreView’s study.

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.

Thanks to websites like Xbox Live, “Madden” gamers can head online to play with friends and anonymous fans across the country — making the game a communal experience, Foran notes.

“Madden” is also one of the top ten mobile game downloads: 142,000 mobile users downloaded the game in July 2008, paying an average of $4.34 for the game, according to Nielsen’s latest Mobile Games Report. 

Not surprisingly, the mobile version of “Madden NFL 2008″ skews heavily male.  In Q2 2008, 78% of the game’s downloaders were male.  However, Foran notes, the game also skews more middle age than the overall mobile gaming population: 44% of “Madden NFL ‘08″ downloaders were between the ages of 45 and 64.  In comparison, just 21% of the overall mobile gaming audience falls within that age group.

And because video gamers are avid football fans (in 2008, NFL games have drawn 44% higher TV ratings among households with video game consoles than those without, according to Nielsen), EA Sports expanded the “Madden” franchise into TV. 

The company partnered with ESPN to create “Madden Nation,” a “Survivor”-esque reality show airing on ESPN2, Foran notes.  The show, which draws an average of 300,000 viewers each week, has come up with innovative ways to integrate cross promotions of NFL teams and sports apparel.

“Madden” has also found success with other ESPN programs, such as “Sunday Countdown” and “Monday Night Countdown,” Foran notes.  The programs regularly feature “EA Sports Virtual Playbook” segments, in which ESPN analysts diagram the plays using the “Madden” video game with super imposed graphics. 

The takeaway for marketers?

Follow the “Madden” marketing team’s lead: a strong presence across multiple media platforms and a commitment to authenticity are essential for reaching increasingly empowered 21st Century consumers.

Read the full article.

View the latest issue of “Consumer Insight.”

Professional baseball, football, basketball, hockey — and even NASCAR — all converge in October, making it one of the year’s busiest sports months.  Unfortunately, that plethora of options frequently presents sports fans with difficult TV viewing decisions.

Take this past Sunday — when NBC’s Sunday Night Football carried live coverage of the San Diego Chargers playing the New England Patriots.  Meanwhile, Game 3 of the MLB National League Championship Series aired live on FOX.

NBC’s broadcast drew an average audience of 13.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen, while FOX’s MLB coverage drew 8.8 million average viewers. 

The two games, broadcast simultaneously, triggered a fair bit of channel switching.  According to Nielsen Sports, 37% of NBC’s Sunday Night Football audience watched at least six minutes of FOX’s MLB coverage.  Meanwhile, 48% of those who watched the baseball game also watched at least six minutes of NBC’s NFL coverage.

Sports-related websites in the U.S. drew a total unique audience of 77.5 million visitors in September.

View complete data on the top five sports websites.

College Football: Quartet Of Upsets
Oregon State’s stunning upset of top ranked USC was only the harbinger of what was to come in a wild weekend of college football upsets. 

Oregon State’s victory last Thursday night drew 6.3 Million TV viewers, the largest audience for ESPN’s Thursday Night College Football this season.  The next day, the University of Michigan overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the (then) undefeated Wisconsin Badgers in front of 1.3 million ESPN viewers.

Meanwhile, the Southeastern Conference lived up to its billing as the most competitive in the nation, delivering two thrilling upsets in one night: Ole Miss topped the Florida Gators by one point, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide’s defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs — watched by 6.7 million ESPN viewers. 

A ranking of this season’s most watched college football games, to date, is below.

Goodbye, Shea Stadium
Mets fans who hoped Shea Stadium would receive an October farewell were denied on the final day of this year’s baseball season — for the second consecutive year.  806,000 New York viewers, the largest audience for the Mets this season, watched Shea’s sad ending on Sunday.  Next year, the Mets will move next door, to Citi Field.

Chicago: Double Baseball Trouble
Neither New York team made it to the playoffs this year, but for the first time in more than a century, both Chicago teams are in the post-season.  The White Sox’ defeat of the Detroit Tigers drew 451,000 Chicago viewers.  The next day, the Sox’ tie-breaker victory over the Minnesota Twins nearly doubled its Chicago TV audience — to 750,000 viewers — setting a new record in the process.

But will that be enough to lure TV viewers?

Since 2001, Major League Baseball All-Star Game telecasts have drawn U.S. audiences ranging from 12 to 16 million viewers.  Last year’s telecast drew 12.5 million viewers — down from 2006, when 14.4 million fans tuned in.

The 2001 game claimed the largest audiences in recent memory with just over 16 million viewers, but that audience was less than half the size of those tuning in during the game’s glory days in the late Seventies and early Eighties. 

To date, the 1976 and 1980 games claim the largest TV audiences, with 36.3 million and 36.2 million viewers, respectively.

View Nielsen’s historic MLB All-Star broadcast ratings.