The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M*A*S*H” to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.
Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.
“It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports,” said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.
Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl. The “M*A*S*H” record was 105.97 million.
The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl — last year’s game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.
The “M*A*S*H” record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. There’s a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsen’s Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday.
“It’s significant for all of the members of the broadcasting community,” said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. “For anyone who wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people watched this program. You can’t find that anywhere else.”
This is a lot of fun. Here is an animation by Michael Lubin. It’s nice to be entertained with something very creative on a template of old technology. It just goes to show that you don’t need to be 3D, High Def, or from Pandora in order to entertain in today’s tech savvy world.
Architect Ernst Giselbrecht + Parter have really outdone themselves with this one. This is the Kiefer Technic Showroom in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria. The project is called Dynamic Façade. This facade changes continuously; each day, each hour shows a new “face” - the facade is turning into a dynamic sculpture.
Pepsi has new campaign called the Pepsi Refresh Project. They are giving away millions of dollars each month to people who submit ideas on how they can make the world a better place. Winners are decided by how many votes they receive. I’m a Coke guy but…WAY TO GO PEPSI!!!
He’s a homeless man who goes by the name Mustard. When he went on the Opie & Anthony Sirius Radio show to participate in the shows’ “homeless shopping spree” bit, they discovered that he could sing. They grabbed him a guitar (cause he doesn’t own one) and this is what went down. Truly soulful.
LOS ANGELES - Concert promoter Live Nation and ticket-seller Ticketmaster consummated their merger on Monday after the U.S. Justice Department approved it with conditions meant to lower ticket prices for consumers.
Shares in both companies rallied by about 15 percent in trading Monday, showing that investors approved of how the Obama administration handled its first big merger with its appointee Christine Varney as assistant attorney general.
Regulators required Ticketmaster to license its ticketing software to a competitor and sell a subsidiary that handles tens of millions of tickets a year.
That is meant to strengthen the companies that will compete for ticketing contracts and concert promotion work with Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the new company formed by the merger of Live Nation Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc.
“Generally when you see robust competition, you see prices coming down,” Varney told reporters. “This is the right result.”
Consumer groups, ticket resellers and some politicians had expressed concerns that the combined company would control too much of the concert experience. Varney said the original proposal for the merger would have been “anticompetitive.”
Both companies agreed to the conditions, but a federal court in Washington still has to approve it. Canadian regulators and 17 state attorneys general also signed on to the deal.
The combined company will handle all aspects of the concert business, including promoting them, selling tickets, beer and parking, putting out albums and managing an artist roster that includes U2, Madonna, Jay-Z and the Eagles. Its operations span more than 30 countries. The companies said music fans will benefit through lower ticket prices because the merged company can earn money in ways that separate companies could not.
Developers in Kyoto, Japan have revealed the Power Loader. Set to be on construction sites by 2015, this exoskeleton will allow users to pick up, carry and transport hundreds of pounds at a time. That’s right, the machine that killed the main Xenomorph in Aliens piloted by Sigourney Weaver (Ripley) is now a reality. Frickin’ awesome.
All eyes are on 2010 Consumer Electronics Show and the burning question, what will be the innovations for 2010?
Of course, Smartphones, E-Readers and the like, but 3D Televisions will be getting a lot of attention.
Television sets are always front and centre at CES, given that many of the show’s major anchor companies - Sony, Toshiba, LG, Samsung - derive a good portion of their revenues from selling TVs. With flat-panel sales starting to level off, these companies are having to think of new and innovative ways to keep consumers buying. In recent years, that has meant thinner televisions, more energy-efficient televisions and internet-connected televisions. This year, the bet will almost certainly be on 3D televisions, or sets that - when paired with special glasses - can display games and movies in three dimensions. Some companies, including Panasonic, teased 3D last year but there were still a few hurdles to overcome. This year, the pieces are all in place. Hollywood is churning out 3D movies, and not just animated films such as Up or Coraline, but increasingly live-action fare such as Avatar. Also, the technical standardizations on cables and Blu-ray players have all recently been set. With content readily available and the technology ready to go, 3D will certainly have a big presence at this year’s CES.
