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most-watched ad ever Other shorts: Programming notes: TLC chops 'Chopper' Feb 10, 2010 Nielsen: Doritos has most-watched commercial ever Sunday’s Super Bowl was the most-watched TV program in U.S. history, so this may come as no surprise: it also had the most-watched TV commercial ever. That distinction goes to an ad for Doritos that featured a ninja wearing a suit made of the cheese-flavored corn chips, which was viewed by 116.2 million people, according to Nielsen. The commercial aired at 9:30 p.m. on the East Coast, when the game was at the height of its fourth-quarter drama. Nielsen’s analysis shows that, at least this year, it was more beneficial to air a spot near the end of the Super Bowl rather than the beginning. The much-hyped Tim Tebow/Focus on the Family ad, which ran early in the game’s first quarter, tied for the least-watched of the bunch with 92.58 million viewers. It shared last-place status with the Snickers/Betty White ad, which also ran in the first quarter and ended up first on USA Today’s Ad Meter and McKee Wallwork Cleveland's Adbowl. Although it wasn’t included in the list because it wasn’t a paid advertisement, CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” promo featuring Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno was seen by 110.4 million viewers, which would have placed just outside the top 20. Programming notes: TLC chops 'Chopper' Orange County Choppers is going out of business, at least the TV business. Tomorrow night TLC will air the final episode of “American Chopper,” the reality series that follows the Teutul family as they run the New York motorcycle shop. The series launched on Discovery Channel in 2003, where it was one of the network's top shows before eventually moving over to TLC and seeing ratings fade. Elsewhere at TLC, the network has ordered a 12-episode second season of “One Big Happy Family,” about a family of four who weigh a combined 1,400 pounds. The new season is scheduled to start in June. In other programming, MTV has picked up two series, “Dudesons in America” and “MTV’s Parkour Challenge.” “Dudesons” follows a group of Fins who perform “Jackass”-like stunts, and “Parkour” is a foot race through urban environments. Sundance Channel will premiere “Carlos” this fall, a miniseries about 1970s and ‘80s terrorist Carlos the Jackal. It will be the network’s first scripted series, although it’s developing four more. On March 11 Investigation Discovery will launch “True Crime with Aphrodite Jones,” where the journalist and author looks at memorable American court cases. On March 14 HGTV will roll out “The Antonio Treatment,” a series starring “HGTV Design Star” winner Antonio Ballatore. DIY Network is bringing back “Blog Cabin” for a fourth season, with viewers able to vote and blog on the next project beginning Monday. The new season will premiere on Aug. 19. And on broadcast, ABC has ordered a six-episode second season of “Dating in the Dark,” a reality dating series. It will return sometime this summer. Bunny flop: Suit accuses Hef of sabotage Back in the '50s and '60s, Hugh Hefner redefined the art at living well, and while much of it was done in silk pajamas, it was very much a public life, meant to celebrate the Playboy lifestyle and all that entailed, chiefly dames, fast cars and various electronic gadgets. And all that worked while the title was doing well, selling 6 million copies a month. But now Hefner, 81, is charged in a lawsuit with living beyond his means, or at least the means of the corporation he still heads, and the suit wants him to stop. Filed by a shareholder, the class-action suit claims Hefner has sabotaged two efforts to sell the company in the last six months. The suit, as reported by TMZ.com, cites a report done on the company by an investment company as saying, "If you were Hugh Hefner, 81, would you give up the parade of busty blonds, the fancy mansion and the reality TV show for a payout?" Because of Hefner's excesses and his poor management of the company, the suit alleges, the company stock has sunk to a fraction of its former value, just several dollars versus $36 back in 1999. The suit is seeking unspecified damages but the goal is quite obvious: move Hefner aside, take away his mansion, the girls, fast cars and gadgets, and sell the company. Rat stew: Aussie court fines ITV for animal cruelty In the unlikely event that "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" is revived for a third U.S. run, D-list celebrities take note: While slaughtering a rat for food makes for good television, it can cause headaches for the networks in the months afterward. British television network ITV, which filmed "Celebrity" in Australia last year, has been fined £1,672 by an Australian court for animal cruelty after a participant on the show killed a rat and later ate it. The court ruled that it was not the killing in and of itself but the way in which the rat was butchered by Italian chef Gino D'Acampo that brought on the fine. It took more than a minute for the rat to die, and it squealed in pain all the while. "This was an oversight and we have since thoroughly reviewed our procedures and are putting in place a comprehensive training program to ensure that this does not happen in future series," an ITV spokesperson told the BBC News. D'Acampo went on to win the competition, which strands D-listers in the Aussie outback and allows viewers to vote them off.
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