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How many people will watch Barack Obama's primetime address on 10/29?

Settled as 30 million to less than 40 million

New York –October 30, 2008 – On Wednesday October 29, 2008 the Obama campaign purchased a half hour of prime time television on CBS, FOX, NBC, Univision, BET, MSNBC, and TV One to present a program produced by the campaign. The sum of the audiences for these seven networks was 33,553,000

Background:

Barack Obama has bought 30 mintues of primetime on several major networks for October 29th. So far, CBS, NBC and FOX are confirmed -- MLB has even promised to delay the start of the World Series that night to accomodate the address. The Obama campaign has yet to detail what they plan on putting in this time slot, but there are bound to be many curious viewers. The last presidential canidate to buy national primetime was Ross Perot -- never thought we'd be comparing Obama to Perot! More

How many people will watch? This will settle on Nielsen numbers across however many networks carry the spot. Initial odds are relatively flat because I'm really not sure.


Settlement details: As reported by a major mainstream news source based on Neilsen reporting.

 
Forecast history, %
   Zoom in

Settled

Less than 10 million
2%
10 million to less than 20 million
1%
20 million to less than 30 million
3%
30 million to less than 40 million
11%
40 million to less than 50 million
26%
50 million or more
57%
Activity: H$32,925
Settled as 30 million to less than 40 million on Thu 30th Oct 2008 5:38pm PDT

Suspend date: Wed 29th Oct 2008 8:59pm PDT Settlement date: Thu 30th Oct 2008 5:38pm PDTPrediction cut-off: Predictions on this question after Wed 29th Oct 2008 8:59pm PDT have been voided because they were made after the question could be settled

Initial likelihoods: Less than 10 million: 5%, 10 million to less than 20 million: 15%, 20 million to less than 30 million: 25%, 30 million to less than 40 million: 25%, 40 million to less than 50 million: 15%, 50 million or more: 15%

Action history:

Created Wed 15th Oct 2008 6:15pm PDT by jenniandboys[Admin]
Suspended Wed 29th Oct 2008 8:59pm PDT : Suspend date reached
Settlement requested Thu 30th Oct 2008 9:45am PDT by coolkraft: http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/10/obama-ad-rating.html
Settlement requested Thu 30th Oct 2008 1:14pm PDT by dmkuhl: the neilson ratings have it at 30.1 million viewers.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/10/obama-ad-rating.html
Settlement requested Thu 30th Oct 2008 3:16pm PDT by nadine_dr_computer: http://www.comcast.net/articles/tv/20081030/Obama.Ad.Ratings/

this says 36 millon
Settlement requested Thu 30th Oct 2008 5:13pm PDT by jenniandboys[Admin]: 33.5 million from Nielson press release
http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/media_alert5.pdf
Settled as '30 million to less than 40 million' Thu 30th Oct 2008 5:38pm PDT by destry[Admin]: New York –October 30, 2008 – On Wednesday October 29, 2008 the Obama campaign purchased a half hour of prime time television on CBS, FOX, NBC, Univision, BET, MSNBC, and TV One to present a program produced by the campaign. The sum of the audiences for these seven networks was 33,553,000

Suspend date: Wed 29th Oct 2008 8:59pm PDT Settlement date: Thu 30th Oct 2008 5:38pm PDTPrediction cut-off: Predictions on this question after Wed 29th Oct 2008 8:59pm PDT have been voided because they were made after the question could be settled
more info...

 

Predictions (229)

229 predictions

10 weeks ago
dmkuhl predicted 50 million or more (H$12 at 56%)
10 weeks ago
dmkuhl predicted 40 million to less than 50 million (H$6 at 27%)
10 weeks ago
dmkuhl predicted 30 million to less than 40 million (H$20 at 11%)
10 weeks ago
nadine_dr_computer predicted 30 million to less than 40 million (H$20 at 12%)
10 weeks ago
frogchop predicted 30 million to less than 40 million (H$20 at 11%)
more

Comments (30)

  1 frank2877
I won't :-)
posted 12 weeks ago
  2 eliminati
There is no way I will miss this. Epic.
posted 12 weeks ago
  3 randburg
We are all a little "green" on this one. Will somebody please refresh our memories on the Nielsen ratings for the debates? It would help to have "some" factual reference point. Thanks.
posted 12 weeks ago
I dont see why hes going through the trouble. Hes ahead in the polls. Why should he go around wasting money like this?
posted 12 weeks ago
  5 randburg
Even if you are way ahead, it's very dangerous to presume that you have won. That's when someone sneaks up -- BITES YOU IN THE ASS -- and sails past you to win.

Buying that time is very clever, but they better have some great ideas to put into a half hour time slot. If it's boring or worse -- just another advert -- it could prove fatal, rather than a gold star on his forehead. Somehow, I think they have this figured out, and I'm going to watch it...After all, the attraction is: Barack Obama is going to debate himself! And this is really "winner take all" stuff...
posted 12 weeks ago
Googling "debate nielsen ratings":

Pres. debate I - 57M viewers
Pres. debate II - 63M
VP debate - 70M
posted 11 weeks ago
Then compare to Ross Perot's audience: 16.5 million and the average audience of 30 minute infomercials (all this is really). http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/obama’s-oct-29-simulcast-follows-in-perot’s-footsteps/

I think its safely in the 20-50 million category, but no clue within there.
posted 11 weeks ago
  8 randburg
Thank you carnac! It's much appreciated.

If this is an infomercial, it's going to be a drastic mistake...If this is a primetime tv special with impressive guests and tight editing, it will be GENIUS...Maybe he will showcase the Middle Class that he has been promoting...Anyway, count my Nielsen viewership IN...
posted 11 weeks ago
I doubt we see the middle class he talks about... I don't think he has been to a middle class home in a long time outside of a good photo op...
posted 11 weeks ago
No kidding! Obamas a rich lawyer! Whatever knowledge he has about middle and lower class is going to be about 40 years out of date! Not to mention from a different country!
posted 11 weeks ago
always some of the best question jenni!
posted 11 weeks ago
@roba - thanks!
posted 11 weeks ago
  13 pixelpaws
The article about the World Series game being delayed reads like an article out of the Onion, especially this line: "It’s unfortunate that the World Series’ first pitch is being delayed for Obama’s political pitch," RNC spokesman Alex Conant said. "Not only is Obama putting politics before principle, he’s putting it before our national pastime.”
posted 11 weeks ago
  14 dieseldog
i bet the media has the numbers out before the thing is over. i'm trying to figure how nielsen will do this. it will prolly get 50 mill at the start, but i doubt that many watch the full 30 minutes.
posted 11 weeks ago
  15 cici
He didn't make his money being a lawyer, he made it writing books about himself. He should have no trouble filling a half hour.
posted 11 weeks ago
Obama didnt write books by himself. He came up with an idea, told an author what he wanted and let the author write the book. Most politicians do that, Mike Huckabee, Hilliary Clinton, Bill Clinton, George Bush, John McCain, and lots more!
posted 11 weeks ago
  17 cici
wow, he just came up with an idea? He'll have trouble filling the half hour then.
posted 11 weeks ago
@cici:

uhh, no... don't uhhh worry. uh Barack has uhhh his ways of uhhh filling in the time.
posted 11 weeks ago
uhh, yeah, if you could, uhhh, go ahead and uh create a uhhh, question, uhh predicting how many, uhhhh, pregnant pauses Obama, uhhhhh, occur during that uhhh 30 minute, uh, thingy... that would be great.
posted 11 weeks ago
  20 johnoday
this is seriously happening tomorrow? ross perot 08!
posted 10 weeks ago
oh,,i was just gonna post that coolkraft
posted 10 weeks ago
The ad was “big, glossy and almost unavoidable,” Jim Rutenberg observed Wednesday. The commercial was shown on four broadcast networks (Fox, NBC, CBS, and Univision) and four cable channels (MSNBC, BET, TV One, and NY1). BET and TV One were not included in Nielsen’s estimate.
posted 9 weeks ago
coolkraft, i think from now on, just to save room, you should probably post all those links in one comment.
posted 9 weeks ago
Yay! I made a little bit. $380 profit.
posted 9 weeks ago

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