HispanicBusiness

While the Latin Grammys took the top spot in the Spanish-language chart of Hispanic viewership, 60 Minutes moved up the English-language chart with its highest ranking in over a decade. After the week of the November 4 election, the usual suspects returned to the English-language chart, and while the top telenovelas were back on the Spanish-language chart, the Latin Grammys were the focus of the top ten, with the pre-show and a behind the scenes special taking the third and ninth spots, respectively.

Apparently, Hispanics spent the most time watching TV this week on Sunday the 16th, with the top five and 7th and 8th shows all appearing on Sunday. Though it was in the number three spot, the news of the week was 60 Minutes and its return to the national spotlight by scoring the first sit-down interview with President-elect Barack Obama and soon-to-be First Lady Michelle.

During Steve Kroft's two-hour interview with the couple, President-elect Barack Obama talked about his priorities, which include creating the best security council possible, and, once in office, finding Osama bin Laden and addressing the economic crisis. He also spoke about the overwhelming reality of being elected, and the historic significance he felt when he thought of his mother-in-law, who grew up in the 1950s and raised a daughter who will be the First Lady of the United States. Michelle added that she is excited to have her family "under the same roof," and for her husband to have a "big office at home." Curiously, the interview ended with a question about football, after which the President-elect expressed his support of a college football playoff system, and joked about using his presidential influence on the system: "I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

Latin Grammy '08, as it's called in Spanish, managed to beat out the top telenovelas -- a feat rarely accomplished by any program, even a special. The big winner of the night was Juanes, who won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Me Enamora, and Album of the Year for La Vida... Es Un Ratico. The lead up to the Latin Grammys, which beat out all but one telenovela, was Noche de Estrellas. This 'pre-show' was a glamorous look at the stars as they arrived on the red carped, which of course featured interviews and highlighted the fashion choices of the celebrities. The third special of the week, which was shown the following day, was Lo Que No Vio de Latin Grammy. In addition to its behind the scenes footage, the show was dedicated to Marco Solis, a leader in the Latin music industry who has won countless awards for his songs and albums in the U.S. and abroad, and now is one of the most coveted record producers in the genre.

The following TV ratings are based on Hispanic viewership. Nielsen's ratings include viewers who watched the program while it aired and those who viewed the shows via digital video recorder within 24 hours of their airing. Nielsen says that the Hispanic TV audience represents more than 11.63 million television households in the United States. The rating is the percentage of households watching a TV program out of the potential audience of 11.63 million households.


Top 10 English-language shows and ratings (November 10-16, 2008)
1. Sunday Night Football - Sunday (NBC) 7.3
2. Desperate Housewives - Sunday (ABC) 5.6
3. 60 Minutes - Sunday (CBS) 5.2
4. Family Guy - Sunday (FOX) 5.0
5. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick - Sunday (NBC) 4.8
6. Dancing With The Stars - Monday (ABC) 4.5
7. The Simpsons - Sunday (FOX) 4.2
8. American Dad - Sunday (FOX) 4.1
9. Dancing With The Stars Results - Tuesday (ABC) 4.0
9. Grey's Anatomy - Thursday (ABC) 4.0

Top 10 Spanish-language shows and ratings (November 10-16, 2008)
1. Latin Grammy '08 (Special) - Thursday (UNI) 25.1
2. Fuego En La Sangre - Monday-Friday Avg. (UNI) 21.7
3. Noche de Estrellas (Special) - Thursday (UNI) 20.4
4. Cuidado Con El Angel - Monday-Friday Avg. (UNI) 19.0
5. Querida Enemiga - Monday-Friday Avg. (UNI) 18.3
6. Cristina - Monday (UNI) 17.0
7. Aqui Y Ahora - Tuesday (UNI) 15.0
8. Don Francisco Presenta - Wednesday (UNI) 14.8
9. Lo Que No Vio de Latin Grammy (Special) - Friday (UNI) 13.9
10. El Show de los Sueños - Sundays (UNI) 13.4