NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- With the Academy Awards(R) set for this Sunday, a comprehensive set of insights was released today by several VNU businesses. Together, the insights show the breadth and depth of the impact that each year's Awards broadcast and the nominated movies have on television audiences; advertising; box office receipts; sales of movie soundtrack CDs; sales of books that the movies either were based on or that were created as companion products to the movies; and, in the case of "Sideways," one of this year's nominees for Best Picture in which wine plays a starring role, sales of the varietal highlighted in the movie.
Television Ratings (Nielsen Media Research)
The Academy Awards broadcast is one of the biggest television events of the year. According to Nielsen Media Research, last year's broadcast received a 26% average household rating with more than 43 million viewers who tuned in. It was the third highest-rated telecast behind the Super Bowl with a 41.4 household rating. The finale of Friends received a 29.6 household rating.
In 1998, the Awards show received its highest household rating since 1983 with a 34 rating and 55 million viewers. That year, "Titanic" was named the Best Picture.
Academy Awards TV Ratings
Household Number of Number of
Date Net Rating Share Homes Viewers
2/29/2004 ABC 26 40 28,212,000 43,531,000
3/23/2003 ABC 20.4 32 21,769,000 33,043,000
3/24/2002 ABC 25.4 42 26,832,000 41,782,000
3/25/2001 ABC 26.2 40 26,800,000 42,944,000
3/26/2000 ABC 29.2 48 29,437,000 46,333,000
3/21/1999 ABC 28.6 46 28,466,000 45,615,000
Source: Nielsen Media Research
Advertising Expenditures (Nielsen Monitor-Plus)
Glitz and glamour surround the Academy Awards, when fans tune in to see what the stars are wearing. Just as the celebrities stand out on the red carpet, so do the commercials. Since 1995, the cost of a 30-second commercial on the broadcast has increased 114%.
Academy Awards Ad Cost
Per 30 Seconds
Year :30 sec cost
2004 $1,500,000
2003 $1,345,000
2002 $1,290,000
2001 $1,450,000
2000 $1,305,000
1999 $1,000,000
1998 $950,000
1997 $850,000
1996 $795,000
1995 $700,000
Source: Nielsen Monitor-Plus
Cadillac, Pepsi, and JC Penney have been the top three advertisers for the last three years.
A new Nielsen Monitor-Plus website (https://www.nielsenmedia.com/monitorplus/academyawards) contains a commercial database of the last two Academy Awards shows; it allows the occurrences to be sorted by ratings, brand, parent or creative. Next week, the website will contain commercials from the 2005 Awards.
Box Office Measurement (Nielsen EDI, a Unit of Nielsen Entertainment).
How much of an impact do Academy Award nominations have on the distribution and ticket sales for the nominated movies? Comparing the number of theatres showing each movie and ticket sales before and after the nominations were announced on January 25th shows significant increases in most cases.
No. of Theatres
Weekend
Weekend Prior to Following
Nominations Nominations
Movie Announcement Announcement % Change
"Sideways" 696 1,694 143%
"Million Dollar Baby" 147 2,010 1,267%
"The Aviator" 2,261 2,503 11%
"Finding Neverland" 869 1,258 45%
"Ray" 293 526 80%
Box Office Receipts
Total for the Total for the
Three Weekends Three Weekends
Prior to Following
Nominations Nominations
Movie Announcement Announcement % Change
"Sideways" $7,509,671 $15,476,889 106%
"Million Dollar Baby" $5,857,565 $28,228,059 382%
"The Aviator" $18,680,597 $17,649,513 (6%)
"Finding Neverland" $5,717,653 $7,575,138 32%
"Ray" $1,028,670 $1,136,615 10%
Source: Nielsen EDI
Movie Audience Demographics (Nielsen Cinema)
Nielsen Cinema, which measures the size and composition of the audiences reached by cinema advertising, took an inside look at the films "Sideways" and "Ray". The information is based on total moviegoers in the fourth quarter of 2004. The other three Best Picture nominees were in limited release at the time.
Both "Sideways" and "Ray" appealed to older audiences, with 86% of the total audience for "Sideways" 35 years and older and 63% of the audience for "Ray" 35 years and older. More than half (52%) of the total "Sideways" audience was 55 years and older.
Soundtrack Sales (Nielsen SoundScan, a unit of Nielsen Entertainment)
Nielsen SoundScan examined sales of soundtracks for each of the Best Picture nominees (the soundtrack to "Million Dollar Baby" will be available on March 1) as well as those for the movies nominated for Best Music (Score), comparing post-nomination sales with pre-nomination sales.
With its musical focus, it's no surprise that the soundtrack to "Ray" is outselling all others. Also, while an Academy Award nomination seems to have boosted sales of most CDs related to the movies, it did not help them all.
Sales of Movie Soundtrack CDs
CD Units CD Units
Sold Sold
Nominated for Best Composer Weeks Weeks
Picture and/or Ending Ending
Artist 1/9/05 - 1/30/05 - %
1/23/05 2/13/05 Change
"Sideways" Kent 1,076 1,686 57%
"Million Dollar Baby" Eastwood N/A N/A N/A
"The Aviator" Various 4,787 5,154 8%
"Finding Neverland" Kaczmarek 2,367 2,629 11%
"Ray" Charles 65,298 137,905 111%
CD Units CD Units
Nominated for Best Composer Sold Sold
Music (Score) and/or Weeks Weeks
Artist Ending Ending
1/9/05 - 1/30/05 - %
1/23/05 2/13/05 Change
"Finding Neverland" Kaczmarek 2,367 2,629 11%
"Harry Potter & the
Prisoner of Azkaban" Williams 2,358 2,065 (12%)
"Lemony Snicket's" Newman 4,905 2,809 (43%)
"The Passion of
Christ" Debney 1,524 1,692 11%
"The Village" Howard 1,444 1,967 36%
Source: Nielsen Soundscan
Book Sales (Nielsen BookScan, a unit of Nielsen Entertainment)
Each of the movies nominated for Best Picture was either based, at least in part, on a book or a book was developed in conjunction with the movie. Nielsen BookScan, which covers 75% of sales in the book industry, took a look at sales of books that are related to the nominated movies. Comparing pre- and post-nomination sales shows that all of the books increased in sales following the nominations announcement. In some cases, such as with "Million Dollar Baby," and the "Sideways" edition with a cover tied to the movie, there were large increases in sales.
Sales of Books Related to Nominated Movies
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Relates to
Book Author ISBN Format Which Movie?
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Sideways -
Novel Pickett 0312324669 Paperback Sideways
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Sideways -
Novel (movie
cover) Pickett 0312342519 Paperback Sideways
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Sideways -
Shooting Payne,
Script Taylor 1557046557 Paperback Sideways
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Million Million
Dollar Baby Toole 006081926X Paperback Dollar Baby
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
The Aviator Logan 1401359701 Paperback The Aviator
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Howard Hughes:
Aviator Marrett 1591145104 Hardcover The Aviator
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
J.M. Barrie
and the Finding
Lost Boys Birkin 0300098227 Paperback Neverland
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Hackford,
Ray Foxx 1557046492 Hardcover Ray
-------------- -------- ---------- --------- -------------
Units Sold Units Sold
Weeks Weeks
Ending Ending
1/9/05 - 1/30/05 -
Book 1/23/05 2/13/05 % Change
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Sideways - Novel 175 220 26%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Sideways - Novel
(movie cover) 2,989 6,226 108%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Sideways -
Shooting Script 310 375 21%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Million Dollar
Baby 2,100 6,200 195%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
The Aviator 250 260 4%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Howard Hughes:
Aviator 700 755 8%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
J.M. Barrie and
the Lost Boys 980 1,020 4%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Ray 105 165 57%
----------------- ---------- ----------- -------------
Source: Nielsen BookScan. Note: Nielsen BookScan does not track
sales of books through Wal-Mart, Sam's, BJ's, airports or libraries.
"Sideways" Impact on Wine Sales (ACNielsen)
In the movie "Sideways," wine plays a central role, with the main character extolling the virtues of Pinot Noir as he and a friend explore the wineries of California's Santa Ynez Valley. In a news release issued on February 21st, ACNielsen announced that while Pinot Noir sales have been on the rise for several years, the varietal has enjoyed especially strong sales since the movie came out in late October of 2004.
For this release, ACNielsen took a look at the major markets where Pinot Noir is gaining market share. Pinot Noir represents just 1.5% of all table wine sold through grocery stores in the U.S. However, for the 12-week period following the release of "Sideways," it is up two-tenths of a percentage point. The chart below shows the 10 major markets that have experienced the largest gains in Pinot Noir sales as a percentage of total table wine volume.
Volume Share of Table Wine Sales
Market Pinot Noir Share Share Point Change
of Total Table Vs. Year Ago
Wine Volume
NEW ORLEANS 2.5 +0.5
LOS ANGELES 1.6 +0.5
DES MOINES 2.1 +0.5
PORTLAND 3.1 +0.4
CLEVELAND 1.4 +0.4
SAN DIEGO 2.1 +0.3
SAN FRANCISCO 2.7 +0.3
BIRMINGHAM 2.5 +0.3
VIRGINIA 1.6 +0.3
CHARLOTTE 1.8 +0.3
Source: ACNielsen, grocery store sales, 12 weeks ending 1/15/05
Another analysis will be issued in the weeks ahead which will examine the impact of winning an Academy Award.
About VNU
VNU is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media measurement and information (Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen Entertainment), and business information (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Computing, Intermediair).
VNU is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands and New York, USA. The company employs 36,000 people. Total revenues amounted to EUR 3.9 billion in 2003. VNU is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam (ASE:VNU) stock exchange. For more information, please visit the VNU website at www.vnu.com.
About Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is the world's leading provider of television audience measurement and related services. In the United States, Nielsen's National People Meter service provides audience estimates for all national program sources, including broadcast networks, cable networks, Spanish language networks, and national syndicators. Local ratings estimates are produced for television stations, regional cable networks, MSOs, cable interconnects, and Spanish language stations in each of the 210 television markets in the U.S., including electronic metered service in 56 markets. Worldwide, Nielsen Media Research is active in nearly 40 countries, offering television and radio audience measurement, print readership and customized media research services. Nielsen Media Research also provides competitive advertising intelligence information through Nielsen Monitor-Plus in the U.S. and in 29 other markets worldwide. Through a network of affiliates, coverage is extended to more than 70 countries, representing 85% of the world's advertising spending. In addition, Nielsen collects Internet usage and advertising information through Nielsen//NetRatings. More information is available at www.nielsenmedia.com.
About Nielsen Entertainment
Through custom research, consulting and the world's most comprehensive network of entertainment measurement systems and analysis, Nielsen Entertainment delivers Actionable Entertainment Intelligence to clients engaged in the business of selling entertainment and trading in the marketplace of our popular culture. Nielsen Entertainment's AEI products give clients unrivaled perspective from which to steer business decisions, providing the measure and the motivation in one package; comparing what the consumer says they do and what they actually do, in any given environment including film, television, music, books, and interactive media.
Nielsen Entertainment is comprised of the following businesses: National Research Group (NRG), EDI Global, Reel Research, SoundScan, Broadcast Data Systems, Aircheck, Music Control, VideoScan, BookScan, BookData, and Interactive Entertainment, and utilizes the full portfolio of sister companies including Nielsen Media Research (television ratings) and Nielsen Net Ratings (internet usage) to deliver a whole media point of view.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world's leading consumer and marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. More information is available at www.acnielsen.com.