While national TV advertising as a whole grew at a slower rate last year than in the past, Spanish-language TV advertising posted a 3 percent gain in 2008, with growth in every major product category other than those related to the automotive sector. Satellite communication services showed the most growth – up 124 percent in 2008 — followed by car insurance and pharmaceuticals.  Overall, the top 10 categories recorded growth of 8 percent over the prior year, reaching $2.9 billion in 2008.

The dollar shift accompanies a rise in audience size …

CBS’s back-to-back “Ghost Whisperer” special presentations were the number one and number-three ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Friday, December 26, 2008.
CBS’s “Numb3rs” special was sandwiched in between, in second place.

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
GHOST WHISPERER-SPECIAL(S)-12/26/2008
CBS
7,795,000

2
NUMB3RS-SPECIAL(S)-12/26/2008
CBS
6,690,000

3
GHOST WHISPERER 9PM-SP(S)-12/26/2008
CBS
6,509,000

4
SMARTER THAN 5TH SP-12/26(S)-12/26/2008
FOX
5,678,000

5
20/20-FRI
ABC
5,672,000

6
DONT FORGET LYR SP-12/26(S)-12/26/2008
FOX
5,378,000

7
DATELINE 12/26(S)-12/26/2008
NBC
5,234,000

8
FUEGO EN LA SANGRE FRI
UNI
4,773,000

9
CUIDADO CON EL ANGEL FRI
UNI
4,294,000

10
SUPERNANNY SP-12/26(S)-12/26/2008
ABC
3,780,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (December 26, 2008).

Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of almost 8.3 million viewers, while ABC took second place with almost 5.8 million average viewers. FOX and NBC claimed third and fourth places …

CBS’s “NCIS,” “The Mentalist,” and “Without A Trace” were the top three-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Tuesday, December 16, 2008.
NBC’s “Biggest Loser” and ABC’s “Charlie Brown Christmas” special rounded out the top five.

Rank
Program
Network
Viewers (P2+)

1
NCIS
CBS
19,937,000

2
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
19,314,000

3
WITHOUT A TRACE
CBS
14,475,000

4
BIGGEST LOSER 6
NBC
11,832,000

5
CHARLIE BRWN CHRISTMAS(S)-12/16/2008
ABC
8,366,000

6
HOUSE
FOX
6,436,000

7
MOMMA’S BOYS 12/16(S)-12/16/2008
NBC
6,014,000

8
ACCORDING TO JIM-TU 9PM
ABC
5,222,000

9
ELI STONE
ABC
5,151,000

10
FUEGO EN LA SANGRE TUE
UNI
5,060,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (December 16, 2008).

Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of just over 17.9 million viewers, while NBC took second place with almost 9.9 million average viewers.  ABC and FOX claimed third and …

Rank
Program
Network
Viewers (P2+)

1
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
18,742,000

2
NCIS
CBS
18,518,000

3
CSI
CBS
17,476,000

4
OT, THE
FOX
16,220,000

5
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
16,088,000

6
GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
15,279,000

7
60 MINUTES
CBS
13,794,000

8
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
13,630,000

9
NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
NBC
13,286,000

10
BARBARA WALTERS PRESENTS (S)
ABC
13,191,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (December 1, 2008 – December 7, 2008).

According to Nielsen Online, 9.8% of active U.S. Internet users are Hispanic, The Miami Herald reported Monday.  In total, 16.9 million Hispanics were part of the active U.S. online population in July — up from 14.9 million users in July 2007 and 13.7 million users in July 2006.  
To take advantage of this burgeoning online Hispanic population, Telemundo will begin delivering its programming on websites and mobile phones globally, the Herald noted. 
The move reveals the growing importance of digital media in the Hispanic market, Peter Blacker, executive vice president Digital Media …