Nielsen: Auto leads
in Super Bowl ad buys
Other shorts: Monthly cable ratings: Football scores for ESPN
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 1, 2012
Nielsen: Auto leads in Super Bowl ad buys
The auto industry has had its share of troubles over the past five years, but it has still spent more than any other category on ads in the year's most high-profile event, the Super Bowl. Auto advertisers have spent $172.2 million on advertising in the past five Super Bowls (2007-2011), well ahead of beer, which came in at No. 2 with $126.9 million. Movies ($120.7 million), soft drinks ($81.2 million) and tortilla chips ($42.5 million) round out the top five. That said, it took a huge Super Bowl commitment from auto advertisers during last year's game to make the category the clear leader. Last year auto accounted for $77.5 million in Super Bowl spending, way more than any other category and more than double its own spending in any of the previous four years. That was due to the number of advertisers involved; Nielsen says nine auto brands took part in last year's Super Bowl, versus two to four in previous years.
Monthly cable ratings: Football scores for ESPN
Even a down Bowl Championship Series was enough to lift ESPN to a dominant first place in primetime on cable last month. The network averaged 3.56 million total viewers in primetime, according to Nielsen, down 6 percent from last year but nearly a million more than second-place USA. Among adults 18-49, ESPN averaged 1.58 million, off 7 percent from last year but 400,000 more than runner-up TBS. And in 25-54s, ESPN averaged 1.62 million, off 5 percent from 2011 but a half-million more than No. 2 TBS. The network's winning margin came courtesy of the five BCS games that aired in the early part of the month, although nearly all of them were down versus last year, most notably the championship. But even so, that game averaged 24.2 million viewers, and ESPN had all but one of the top 10 programs among total viewers for the month thanks to college and pro football. Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place" finale squeezed in at No. 9 with 9.8 million viewers.
Fox News Channel hits 10 years at No. 1
While Mitt Romney celebrated a big victory in the Florida primary yesterday, Fox News Channel was celebrating something as well. The network hit 10 years on top of the cable news ratings, a streak that began in January 2002 when it surpassed CNN for No. 1. Last month FNC averaged 1.94 million total viewers, up 78 percent since it first took over No. 1 10 years ago. The network has won every month since then, with a lineup that included the top 13 cable news shows in January in total viewers and nine of the top 10 among adults 25-54. The streak is comparable to another on broadcast TV, where NBC's "Today" has been No. 1 in the mornings for 16 straight years.
Programming notes: ABC picks up Cherry pilot
"Desperate Housewives" may be ending this spring, but it appears series creator Marc Cherry won't be leaving ABC quite yet. The network has ordered a new drama pilot from Cherry called "Devious Maids," about four maids working for rich and powerful people in Beverly Hills. Further, it has decided to redevelop Cherry's pilot "Hallelujah" after originally passing on the project. ABC also ordered three other pilots: "Gotham," about a female police officer who finds a magical world in New York City; "Zero Hour," about a magazine editor who becomes wrapped up in a large conspiracy; and "Penoza," about a woman who takes her husband's place in a crime organization after he's killed. Meanwhile, in other programming NBC has ordered a drama pilot of its own, an adaptation of the British crime drama "Bad Girls." From "ER" creator John Wells, the drama is set in a women's prison and follows a female warden. CW is also working on three drama pilots for next season: "Shelter," following the staff and guests at a New England resort; "The Selection," based on a Kiera Cass book set 300 years in the future; and "Joey Dakota," about a filmmaker who travels back in time and falls in love with a rock star. Finally, on cable, TLC is developing "Preacher Wives," a reality series from the production company behind the "Real Housewives" franchise. TLC hasn't said how many episodes it has picked up or when the show will premiere.
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