October 30, 2008

By the Numbers: CableFAX Program Awards Edition

OUR IRREVERENT BUT USUALLY RELEVANT LOOK AT DIGITS OF INTEREST.

45.0: Overnight Nielsen rating (cable and broadcast) for the Biden-Palin debate, Oct 2, the most-watched VP debate ever.
31.6: Nielsen for the McCain-Obama debate Sept 26.
69.9 million: Avg viewers who watched Biden-Palin.
11.1 million: Those who watched it on Fox News Channel, making it FNC’s top telecast ever.
10.7 million: Those watching it on CNN; it was CNN’s third-most viewed show.
13.1 million: Those who saw it on ABC.

22 million+: Americans addicted to alcohol and other drugs.
Fewer than 10%: Those receiving treatment for addiction. AETN’s answer — The Recovery Project, a partnership between AETN, federal and non-profit agencies — seeks to raise awareness that addiction is a treatable disease. [National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006]

65 million: Basic video subs served by cable MSOs.
31 million: DBS subs.
2 million: Telco vid subs.
48 million: Subs cable will add to advanced services rolls in the next 10 years.
[Figures as of 2Q ’08, SNL Kagan Broadband Cable Financial Databook]

4%: The penetration rate of Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse in U.S. multichannel homes. [State of Digital/Interactive TV, Horowitz Associates, 09/08]

1%: Estimated number of people watching TV programs online. [WSJ 10/03/08]

68 million: Cable VoIP homes at the end of 2006.
115.6 million: Cable VoIP homes projected by SNL Kagan by the end of this year.
$81 billion: Estimated cable MSO revenue for 2008.
$120 billion: Estimated revenue by 2018. [SNL Kagan]

$300 billion: The amount of U.S. government and agency debt China has purchased this year. Some believe China’s financing of the U.S. could have negative foreign policy implications for Washington. [Brad Setser, Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations]

$700 billion: Estimated price for the fed’s bailout of troubled financial firms like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG.
$47 million: The value of the exit package promised to ousted AIG CEO Martin Sullivan.
$22 million: The amount promised to his successor, Robert Willumstad, whom the feds asked to vacate in mid-Sept. Willumstad vows he won’t accept the payout. [WSJ, 09/22/08]

$19.6 million: GE boss Jeff Immelt’s 2007 compensation package.

$53 billion: ’08 cable revenue from video subs.
79%: Rise in cable and DBS sub prices since ’95. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

25%: The estimated budget cut for parties and events spending by big companies in this year of economic downturn. [Milton Pedraza, CEO, The Luxury Institute, quoted in Men’s Vogue, 09/08]

$17 billion: The value of ’08 earmarks approved by the Democrat- controlled Congress, up 30% vs ’07. When the Democrats took control of Congress in ’06, they pledged to reduce earmarks. [Rolling Stone, 05/01/08]

81K: Avg number of viewers (1pm-10pm) of Fox Business News on 9/29/08, according to Nielsen. It was the first time in memory FBN reached a level that it could be rated.
900K: Avg viewers watching CNBC that day; Fox News had 2.68 mln, CNN had 1.88 mln as Congress debated the bank bailout and the Dow fell nearly 800 points. [NYT, 10/02/08]

Return to 2008 CableFAX Program Awards table of contents.