McCain Helps SNL Score 2nd Best Ratings In A Decade: MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer November 3, 2008
John McCain's appearance on Saturday Night Live helped the show average a 9.0 household rating/ 20 share in metered markets. Saturday's SNL was only beat out by Sarah Palin's appearance a few weeks ago, which averaged 10.7 rating/ 24 share. McCain's appearance helped SNL garner their second-highest rated program in more than a decade.
A Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that cable operators must carry the same broadcast channels that over-the-air viewers receive after the transition to digital television. The ruling would require cable providers to use more bandwidth in distributing content. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the "action preserves the commission's decision to protect consumers and prevents cable companies from either choosing to cut off signals of must-carry broadcast stations after the digital conversion."
MySpace will begin selling ads alongside video clips. The social network will begin its project by partnering with MTV Networks (MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Nickelodeon) and Auditude, a firm which can identify whether or not video clips on the web are owned by a television network. Auditude will flag all videos owned by MTV Netowkrs on MySpace and overlay ads on top of them.
According to Nikkei, Panasonic has reached a preliminary deal to takeover Sanyo. Details are scant, but rumors have been floating about Panasonic's plan to create a "battery superpower" , which could make Sanyo's solar panel production attractive. Details surrounding the potential acquisition are expected to be released November 7th.
Plus, today's consulting question, "Internet CPMs have dropped over 10% in the last two quarters, is it just the economy?" Shelly has the answer on today's MediaBytes.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net
Follow Shelly Palmer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@shelly_palmer
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The last Saturday Night Live with John McCain was one of the worst shows I've seen. Other than the Palin segment, the other skits were not funny and some were just plain dumb. Ben Affleck was a big disappointment as Keith Olbermann. He overdid it and made it more physical than mental. Maybe that's because the script wasn't very funny. I wanted it to be funny and I wanted to laugh but it was a bummer. I'll bet the English could have done a better job. Other than the political skits, the rest were irrelevant. I keep waiting for SNL to become relevant again but I'm always disappointed.
well said
The high score was due to all of us tuning in, who don't usually watch any more, to say "so long, McCain!" Don't misinterpret high ratings. They can indicate a desire to be rid of the person you're watching. That appearance was a farewell.
As someone posted during a similar story on Palin,
People will always be intrigued by the wreck on the highway so they slowdown to watch.
The beauty, out of every one that stops to help, 100 will keep going.
McCain-Palin is the wreck.
I didn't watch SNL because of McCain....
On the Entertainment Weekly website when asked to comment on McCain's part of the show many of the posters chose instead to rave about the David Cook appearance. Why are people assuming the ratings were all for McCain? Maybe they tuned in for Cook. Whatever the reason, most posters wrote (and I agree) that it was a "jump the shark" moment for the McCain campaign and made him look like a nice old man who was going to lose.
Um... I didn't watch SNL b/c McCain was on, I watched it because they have been hysterical this election season.
Don't assign motive.
I watched SNL IN SPITE of McCain's appearance.
I think that McCain's timing for the SNL appearance was in no way a boost to his campaign. Granted, he was funny playing a caricature of himself, but I don't think that it was the dignified, presidential image that he should have been projecting in the final days of his campaign.
Sarah Palin's appearance, on the other hand, was pathetic regardless of the fact that she was a good sport about the whole thing. I just think that both appearances were a gaffe for the floundering GOP campaign.
SNL is only doing what SNL has always done. Let there be no doubt that the winners of "tight"
elections are the broadcast networks, the blogs, etc. Networks contirbute to the growing costs
of elections, and the growing lengths. In fact, if networks had their way they would turn the cycle
into a never-ending production. Their are many corallaries to this disturbing trend.
One of them is networks cover candidates in a way that closes the gap.
Al Gore was eviscerated by the networks when he had a lead over Bush. the race tightened
and Bush stole it. Obama had a big lead over Hillary. That race continued on and on.
The networks count on elections to pad their profits. TV ratings are dropping across the board
but networks create a bonanza in dramatic election coverage. Its far far bigger than the
Superbowl because the season last years and the action is 24/7.
If networks could produce the end of the world for better ratings they would do it.
Edward R Murrow was right. TV has become the vast wasteland.
Newton Minnow, head of the FCC said it not Ed Murrow
They didn't get our family either! NO MORE SNL, EVER!
I will never watch SNL again for their attempts to affect the outcome of this presidential race.
Here, here. I'm with you. Oh wait a minute. I stopped watching SNL years ago b/c it wasn't funny anymore.
SNL might have received 2nd highest ratings in decade, but they didn't get my family to tune in. Understand this is a comedy show, but Lorne Michaels who reportedly gave $2300 to McCain campaign, most likely put McCain on to make him likable again. But after how McCain's campaign tried to smear Obama and Michelle and lie about their values and character.
Poor Tina Fey. Hopefully she gets her wish and America saves her the trouble of being expected to impersonate Sarah Palin for any extended period of time.
Not really sure why this is a problem, as it gave Fey a chance to prove that she actually can be funny on occasion.
Tina Fey was funny long before Palin came along.
Seriously. Some argue that Palin is now defined by Tina Fey. I'm beginning to believe Fey will be defined by Palin.
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