TV’s Top 10 Shows and Ads for 2008: Sports & Reality Dominate
Sports programming - including the Olympics and NFL Football - were among the most popular single-telecast US network TV programs in 2008, while reality shows American Idol, Project Runway, Extreme Makeover and Biggest Loser were tops for regularly scheduled TV and product placements, according to The Nielsen Company, which released its annual “Top 10″ TV rankings for the year.
Top 10 TV Programs - Regularly Scheduled:
Top 10 TV Programs - Single Telecast:
Those who timeshifted TV programs report recording Heroes, Fringe and Lost most often.
Top 10 “Timeshifted” Primetime TV Programs:
In a more detailed look at timeshifted programming, Nielsen also released the charts below, which show the top ten prime-time TV programs that saw the biggest increase in timeshifted playback within seven days from the original telecast. The first chart is ranked by total gain in household audience from timeshifting, and the second chart is ranked by the percent increase in household rating:
Regarding broadcast TV advertising, commericals for the NFL, Budweiser and Geico took top honors for likeability, while CVS, TRESemme and El Pollo Loco got high marks for helping to improve consumer brand opinion:
Top 10 Best-Liked TV Commercials:
Top 10 Most Effective Product Placements on Brand Opinion:
