Obama infomercial pulls decent ratings

Nielsen press release…..

Subject: Obama Campaign Spot attracts 21.7% of Local TV Households

Nielsen just released last night’s ratings of Barack Obama’s national campaign spot for the 56 local markets where we have meters.

* Overall, for the six networks that aired the program simultaneously, the spot had a household rating of 21.7% (meaning that 21.7 percent of all households watching television were tuned to the spot.)

* In comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets.

* The last presidential candidate to air a paid simulcast was Ross Perot in 1996, which received a national household rating of 16.8.

* Last night, the Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 31.3, while the Portland market had the lowest household rating: 14.2.

For more information please see our blog at:

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/category/politics/