Nielsen Issues Most Popular Lists for 2006

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Several Nielsen media tracking businesses today released a year-end look at the most popular media trends among Americans during 2006. This is the first time the Nielsen companies have released a compilation of "Top 10's" for the Nielsen brands. Going forward this information will be released publicly on a regular basis.

The Nielsen companies, owned by VNU, deliver the most comprehensive media and marketing measurement systems in the world. Media trends monitored by Nielsen include:

      *  Television
      *  Movies
      *  Videos
      *  Music
      *  Mobile
      *  Internet
      *  Books
      *  Advertising Trends

  TELEVISION - from Nielsen Media Research

             Top 10 TV Programs - Regularly Scheduled - 2006
                                                            % of Homes
                                                              in U.S.
  Rank      Programs                          Network         (Rating)
   1        AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY               FOX             17.7
   2        AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY             FOX             17.2
   3        DANCING WITH THE STARS              ABC             12.7
   4        CSI                                 CBS             12.0
   5        DANCING W/STARS RESULTS             ABC             11.4
   6        NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL           NBC             11.1
   7        CSI: MIAMI                          CBS             10.3
   8        DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES                ABC             10.2
   9        HOUSE                               FOX             10.0
   10       DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON                 NBC              9.8
   10       WITHOUT A TRACE                     CBS              9.8
  Source: Nielsen Media Research

Note: Data from Dec 26, 2005 - Dec 17, 2006. Household Ratings include Live and Same Day timeshifted viewing.

               Top 10 TV Programs - Single Telecasts - 2006

                                                            % of Homes
                                                              in U.S.
  Rank      Telecast              Network      Date Aired     (Rating)
   1        SUPER BOWL XL           ABC         2/5/2006        41.6
   2        SUPER BOWL POST GAME    ABC         2/5/2006        29.0
   3        ACADEMY AWARDS          ABC         3/5/2006        23.1
   4        ROSE BOWL               ABC         1/4/2006        21.7
   5        GREY'S ANATOMY          ABC         2/5/2006        21.0
   6        FOX NFC CHAMPIONSHIP    FOX        1/22/2006        20.8
   7        AMERICAN IDOL-WED       FOX        5/24/2006        20.5
   8        AMERICAN IDOL-TUES      FOX        1/24/2006        19.6
   9        AMERICAN IDOL-TUES      FOX        1/17/2006        19.3
   10       AMERICAN IDOL-TUES      FOX        3/21/2006        19.2
  Source: Nielsen Media Research

Note: Data from Dec 26, 2005 - Dec 17, 2006. Household Ratings include Live and Same Day timeshifted viewing. Excludes telecasts under 5 minutes.

            Top 10 "Timeshifted" Primetime TV Programs - 2006

                                                            % Increase
  Rank      Programs                  Network              in Viewership
   1        STUDIO 60                   NBC                    10.9
   2        HEROES                      NBC                     9.1
   3        GILMORE GIRLS               CW                      7.9
   4        AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL    CW                      7.7
   5        30 ROCK                     NBC                     7.5
   5        FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS         NBC                     7.5
   7        NINE, THE                   ABC                     6.7
   7        SUPERNATURAL                CW                      6.7
   9        KIDNAPPED                   NBC                     6.6
   9        ONE TREE HILL               CW                      6.6
   9        SMALLVILLE                  CW                      6.6
  Source: Nielsen Media Research

Note: Data from Dec 26, 2005 - Dec 3, 2006. Percent Increase in viewership is based on difference between Live Household Ratings and Live+7.

  MOVIES - from Nielsen EDI and Nielsen VideoScan

                Top 10 Box Office - All Theatrical - 2006

  Rank     Title                      Cumulative Total US $    Open Date
   1       Pirates of the
           Caribbean: Dead                $423,315,812         7/7/2006
   2       Cars                           $244,082,982         6/9/2006
   3       X-Men: The Last Stand          $234,362,462        5/26/2006
   4       The Da Vinci Code              $217,536,138        5/19/2006
   5       Superman Returns               $200,081,192        6/28/2006
   6       Ice Age: The Meltdown          $195,330,621        3/31/2006
   7       Over the Hedge                 $155,019,340        5/19/2006
   8       Happy Feet                     $149,244,791       11/17/2006
   9       Talladega Nights: The Ballad   $148,213,377         8/4/2006
   10      Casino Royale                  $137,501,384       11/17/2006
  Source:  Nielsen EDI
  Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 17, 2006, US and Canada Only


                Top 10 Box Office - Animated Movies - 2006

  Rank     Title                      Cumulative Total US $    Open Date
   1       Cars                           $244,082,982         6/9/2006
   2       Ice Age: The Meltdown          $195,330,621        3/31/2006
   3       Over the Hedge                 $155,019,340        5/19/2006
   4       Happy Feet                     $149,244,791       11/17/2006
   5       Open Season                     $84,303,558        9/29/2006
   6       Monster House                   $73,661,010        7/21/2006
   7       Barnyard                        $72,637,803         8/4/2006
   8       Flushed Away                    $61,607,497        11/3/2006
   9       Curious George                  $58,360,760        2/10/2006
   10      Hoodwinked                      $51,224,985        1/13/2006
  Source:  Nielsen EDI
  Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 17, 2006, US and Canada Only


                 Top 10 Box Office - Documentaries - 2006

  Rank     Title                      Cumulative Total US $    Open Date
   1       An Inconvenient Truth           $23,814,997         5/24/2006
   2       Deep Sea 3-D                    $21,586,668          3/3/2006
   3       Dave Chappelle's Block Party    $11,718,595          3/3/2006
   4       Roving Mars                      $5,342,643         1/27/2006
   5       Wordplay                         $3,119,555         6/16/2006
   6       Neil Young: Heart of Gold        $1,828,069         2/10/2006
   7       Who Killed The Electric Car      $1,678,874         6/28/2006
   8       Why We Fight                     $1,439,972         1/20/2006
   9       The U.S. vs John Lennon          $1,109,146         9/15/2006
   10      Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Ma..     $1,044,254         6/21/2006
  Source:  Nielsen EDI
  Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 17, 2006, US and Canada Only


                         Top 10 DVD Sales - 2006

                                                                  Retail
                                                                  Release
  Rank     Title                          Distributor              Date
   1       Harry Potter and the
           Goblet of Fire                 Warner Home Video       03-07-06
   2       Chronicles of Narnia: The
           Lion, The Witch, and
           the Wardrobe              Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid  04-04-06
   3       Cars                      Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid  11-07-06
   4       Pirates of the Caribbean:
           Dead Man's Chest          Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid  12-05-06
   5       Wedding Crashers          Warner Home Video            01-03-06
   6       King Kong                 Universal Home Ent           03-28-06
   7       Walk the Line             20th Century Fox Home Ent    02-28-06
   8       Over the Hedge            Paramount Home Video         10-17-06
   9       Little Mermaid            Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid  10-03-06
   10      Chicken Little            Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid  03-21-06
  Source: Nielsen VideoScan

Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 10, 2006. Based on unit sales. Does not include sales from Wal-Mart. Most other sell-through retailers are included.

  MUSIC - from Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen BDS

                           Top 10 Albums - 2006

  Rank        Artist                   Album                    Units Sold
   1          HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL      SOUNDTRACK               3,480,000
   2          RASCAL FLATTS            ME AND MY GANG           3,060,000
   3          CARRIE UNDERWOOD         SOME HEARTS              2,460,000
   4          NICKELBACK               ALL THE RIGHT REASONS    2,310,000
   5          JAMES BLUNT              BACK TO BEDLAM           2,060,000
   6          JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE        FUTURESEX/LOVE SOUNDS    1,950,000
   7          DIXIE CHICKS             TAKING THE LONG WAY      1,770,000
   8          MARY J. BLIGE            BREAKTHROUGH             1,750,000
   9          VARIOUS ARTISTS          NOW 21                   1,640,000
   10         BEYONCE                  B'DAY                    1,600,000
  Source:  Nielsen SoundScan
  Note:  Data from Jan 2 - Dec 10 2006


              Top 10 Most Digitally Downloaded Tracks - 2006

  Rank      Track                   Artist                      Units Sold
   1        BAD DAY
            (ALBUM VERSION)         DANIEL POWTER               1,880,000
   2        CRAZY
            (ALBUM VERSION)         GNARLS BARKLEY              1,525,000
   3        TEMPERATURE
            (ALBUM VERSION)         SEAN PAUL                   1,460,000
   4        OVER MY HEAD
            (CABLE CAR)             FRAY                        1,410,000
   5        UNWRITTEN               NATASHA BEDINGFIELD         1,320,000
   6        HIPS DON'T LIE          SHAKIRA  (Featuring Wyclef) 1,290,000
   7        DANI CALIFORNIA
            (ALBUM VERSION)         RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS       1,200,000
   8        SEXYBACK MAIN VERSION   JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
                                     FEATURING TI               1,190,000
   9        MOVE ALONG              ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS        1,180,000
   10       LIPS OF AN ANGEL        HINDER                      1,120,000
  Source:  Nielsen SoundScan

Note: Data from Jan 2 - Dec 10 2006. A digital track may come from an album, a single or a standalone recording. Digital tracks are purchased and downloaded from providers in the U.S., including every major digital music retailer.

               Top 10 Most Played Songs on the Radio - 2006

                                                              # of Times
  Rank   Songs              Artist                              on Radio
   1     Be Without You     Mary J. Blige                       395,995
   2     Unwritten          Natasha Bedingfield                 336,276
   3     Temperature        Sean Paul                           324,555
   4     Me & U             Cassie                              312,073
   5     Hips Don't Lie     Shakira Feat. Wyclef Jean           308,903
   6     Promiscuous        Nelly Furtado Featuring Timbaland   292,264
   7     Bad Day            Daniel Powter                       291,256
   8     Check On It        Beyonce Featuring Slim Thug         290,231
   9     So Sick            Ne-Yo                               277,958
   10    Over My Head
         (Cable Car)        Fray                                276,601
  Source:  Nielsen BDS
  Note:  Data from Jan 1 - Dec 18 2006


  MOBILE - from Nielsen RingScan

                        Top 10 Mastertones - 2006

  Rank    Artist                   Title                         Units Sold
   1      Akon                     Smack That                     1,220,000
   2      Justin Timberlake        Sexy Back                      1,130,000
   3      Hinder                   Lips of an Angel               1,090,000
   4      Ludacris                 Money Maker (Pharrell Chorus)    900,000
   5      Jibbs                    Chain Hang Low                   870,000
   6      Justin Timberlake        My Love                          780,000
   7      Beyonce                  Irreplaceable                    690,000
   8      Lil' Scrappy             Money In The Bank                580,000
   9      DJ Unk                   Walk It Out                      580,000
   10     Bow Wow                  Shortie Like Mine                570,000
  Source:  Nielsen RingScan

Note: Data only available from Sept 3 - Dec 10 2006. Mastertones are ringtones that play 20-30 seconds of the originally recorded song.

INTERNET - from Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics Top 10 Web Brands - 2006 Rank Brand Total Web Page Views (000) Rounded to Billion 1 Yahoo! 354,460,178 354.5 2 MySpace 250,658,985 250.7 3 Google 147,678,643 147.7 4 eBay 143,350,272 143.4 5 MSN/Windows Live 141,217,768 141.2 6 AOL 73,064,337 73.1 7 Craigslist 27,064,482 27.1 8 Nickelodeon Kids and Family Network 24,702,952 24.7 9 Comcast 23,490,249 23.5 10 Microsoft 23,224,640 23.2 Source: Nielsen//NetRatings Note: Data from January 1 - Nov 30, 2006; U.S. Home and Work Top 10 Cited Wikipedia Entries - 2006 Messages Rank Term URL (Index) 1 Web 2.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 206 2 Steve Irvin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin 161 3 Mark Foley Scandal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Foley_scandal 142 4 Blog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog 147 5 Ajax http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX 133 6 World War II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II 143 7 Snakes on a Plane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_on_a_plane 126 8 Meme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme 132 9 Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki 129 10 RSS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format) 122 Source: Nielsen BuzzMetrics Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 10, 2006 BOOKS - from Nielsen BookScan Top 10 Book Sales - Adult Fiction Hardcover - 2006 Publication Units Rank Title Author Date Sold 1 FOR ONE MORE DAY ALBOM, MITCH 9/1/2006 813,000 2 BEACH ROAD PATTERSON, JAMES 5/1/2006 459,000 3 CELL KING, STEPHEN 1/1/2006 421,000 4 THE 5TH HORSEMAN PATTERSON, JAMES 2/1/2006 394,000 5 TWELVE SHARP EVANOVICH, JANET 6/1/2006 386,000 6 CROSS PATTERSON, JAMES 11/1/2006 371,000 7 THE DA VINCI CODE BROWN, DAN 3/1/2003 360,000 8 DEAR JOHN SPARKS, NICHOLAS 10/1/2006 359,000 9 JUDGE & JURY PATTERSON, JAMES 7/1/2006 330,000 10 TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE CLARK, MARY HIGGINS 4/1/2006 270,000 Source: Nielsen BookScan Note: Sales from Jan 1 - Dec 10, 2006 Top 10 Book Sales - Adult Non Fiction Hardcover - 2006 Publication Units Rank Title Author Date Sold 1 MARLEY & ME GROGAN, JOHN 11/1/2005 1,307,000 2 THE INNOCENT MAN GRISHAM, JOHN 10/1/2006 618,000 3 YOU: ON A DIET ROIZEN, MICHAEL F. 10/1/2006 579,000 4 CESAR'S WAY MILLAN, CESAR 4/1/2006 507,000 5 STATE OF DENIAL WOODWARD, BOB 10/1/2006 465,000 6 FREAKONOMICS LEVITT, STEVEN D. 5/1/2005 423,000 7 THE AUDACITY OF HOPE OBAMA, BARACK 10/1/2006 402,000 8 THE WORLD IS FLAT FRIEDMAN, THOMAS L. 4/1/2006 400,000 9 I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK EPHRON, NORA 8/1/2006 367,000 10 CULTURE WARRIOR O'REILLY, BILL 9/1/2006 358,000 Source: Nielsen BookScan Note: Sales from Jan 1 - Dec 10, 2006 Top 10 Audio Book Sales - Includes Adult and Juvenile - 2006 Publication Units Rank Title Author Date Sold 1 YOUR BEST LIFE NOW OSTEEN, JOEL 10/1/2004 44,000 2 COMPLETE SPANISH: THE BASICS LIVING LANGUAGE 7/1/2005 43,000 3 MARLEY & ME GROGAN, JOHN 11/1/2005 35,000 4 THE DA VINCI CODE (UNABRIDGED) BROWN, DAN 3/1/2006 35,000 5 INSPIRATION DYER, WAYNE W. 2/1/2006 26,000 6 BEACH ROAD PATTERSON, JAMES 5/1/2006 25,000 7 THE DA VINCI CODE (ABRIDGED) BROWN, DAN 3/1/2006 25,000 8 THE WORLD IS FLAT FRIEDMAN, THOMAS L. 4/1/2006 25,000 9 JUDGE & JURY PATTERSON, JAMES 7/1/2006 25,000 10 LEARN IN YOUR CAR SPANISH LEVEL 1 RAYMOND, HENRY N 3/1/2003 24,000 Source: Nielsen BookScan Note: Sales from Jan 1 - Dec 10, 2006 ADVERTISING - from Nielsen Monitor-Plus and Nielsen Product Placement Top 10 Advertisers - by U.S. Spending on Traditional Media - 2006 05 vs 06 Rank Advertisers Ad $ Spent % Change 1 Procter & Gamble Co. $2,903,645,851 2.91 2 General Motors Corp. $1,953,993,498 -15.72 3 AT&T Inc. $1,440,567,658 46.75 4 Ford Motor Co. $1,429,333,335 13.19 5 Daimlerchrysler AG $1,299,331,574 -5.63 6 Time Warner Inc. $1,165,728,375 -11.74 7 Verizon Communications Inc. $1,131,024,907 19.96 8 Toyota Motor Corp. $1,087,515,526 14.50 9 Altria Group Inc. $1,038,685,970 -0.69 10 Walt Disney Co. $1,028,170,671 1.33 Source: Nielsen Monitor-Plus

Note: Data from Jan 1-Oct 31, 2006. Based on spending estimates in the following media: Network TV, Cable TV,

Spot TV, Syndicated TV, Hispanic TV, Nat'l/Local Magazine, Network/Spot Radio, Outdoor, FSI (CPGs only), Nat'l/Local Newspapers (display ads only), Nat'l/Local Sunday Supplements.

           Top 10 Advertisers by U.S. Spending - ONLINE - 2006

  Rank    Company                            Ad $ Spent Online
   1      GUS Plc                        $        659,121,200
   2      Vonage Holdings Corp           $        294,882,000
   3      Netflix, Inc.                  $        242,549,800
   4      NexTag, Inc.                   $        232,199,900
   5      Verizon Communications, Inc.   $        183,073,200
   6      United Online, Inc.            $        178,519,800
   7      Monster Worldwide, Inc.        $        108,445,000
   8      Time Warner Inc.               $        105,595,200
   9      InterActiveCorp                $        101,679,500
   10     Apollo Group, Inc.             $         91,067,100
  Source:  Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance
  Note: Data from Jan 1-Nov 30, 2006.


      Top 10 Brands:  Product Placement, Broadcast Network TV - 2006

                                                      Total # of
  Rank    Brand                                       Occurrences
   1      COCA-COLA SOFT DRINKS                          3346
   2      CHEF REVIVAL APPAREL                           1592
   3      NIKE APPAREL                                   1245
   4      24 HOUR FITNESS FITNESS CTRS-CLUBS              858
   5      CHICAGO BEARS FTBL TM                           600
   6      CINGULAR WIRELESS TELEPH SVCS-WIRELESS          532
   7      STARTER APPAREL                                 494
   8      DELL COMPUTER SYS                               494
   9      SLS ELECTRONIC EQUIP SPEAKERS                   489
   10     NIKE SPRT FTWR                                  471
  Source: Nielsen Product Placement
  Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 12, 2006


     Top 10 Programs:  Product Placement, Broadcast Network TV - 2006

                                                                Total # of
  Rank          TV Program                       Network        Occurrences
   1            AMERICAN IDOL                      FOX             4086
   2            AMAZING RACE                       CBS             2790
   3            EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION      ABC             2701
   4            THE BIGGEST LOSER                  NBC             2405
   5            AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL          UPN/CW            2309
   6            HELLS KITCHEN                      FOX             1909
   7            THE APPRENTICE                     NBC             1831
   8            KING OF QUEENS                     CBS             1742
   9            ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA                CBS             1609
   10           BIG BROTHER 7                      CBS             1591
  Source: Nielsen Product Placement
  Note: Data from Jan 1 - Dec 12, 2006


  Additional Media Contacts

  Nielsen Media Research: Brandi Preston, 646.654.8391
  Nielsen EDI:  Michael Marcell, 323.860.4670
  Nielsen VideoScan: David Hoffman, 323.817.1526
  Nielsen SoundScan/BDS/RingScan:  Anna Loynes, 213.639.6167
  Nielsen//NetRatings: Suzy Bausch, 408.941.2965
  Nielsen BuzzMetrics: Sandra Parrelli, 646.654.7772
  Nielsen BookScan: Cara Milo, 914.684.5505
  Nielsen Monitor-Plus and Product Placement: Laura Czaja, 646.654.8681

  About VNU

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For more information, please visit the VNU website at: http://www.vnu.com/