With a newborn at home, I hope it will be the back of my eyelids.
Thank you for subscribing and reading Impressions to Ballots these last 8 weeks. I am grateful for the positive feedback we’ve received and for the CSM team who have helped with my random data requests on top of their full time jobs.
We’ll be back to the hard hitting political analysis next week.
At CSM, we use Automated Content Recognition (ACR) and other panel data to model Linear TV viewership for every household in the US. Usually, we’re tracking political ad reach and frequency, but this week, we’ll dive into what we watched on TV last New Year’s Eve.
What New Years Eve Program Reached The Most Households?
2025/2026 will be the 54th year for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’s and it still holds the top spot when it comes to households reached.
Who played in last year’s Fiesta Bowl?
Penn State vs. Boise State.
This year we have Ohio State vs. Miami in the Cotton Bowl. For my Ohio State fans out there, the game starts at 7:30 ET so there should be little risk of repeating this memorable NYE moment - Ohio State Misses Field Goal Exactly As The Clock Strikes Midnight
How did viewership differ by political party?
This is still a political newsletter.
An index of 100 represents the national average. Anything over 100, means the audience watched that program more than the national average.
Republicans - Watch more TV than the average household, but they preferred the Nashville Bash and College Football.
Democrats - Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen won the night on CNN.
Persuadable Voters - More fun? Out on the town? Not watching as much as either party and under the national average across the board.
How did viewership change by geographic region?
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen get a lot of love from Northeastern Democrats.
After seeing billions (literally) of political ads in 2024, PA was locked in on the Penn State game. Idaho didn’t tune in at the same level to watch Boise State, but for reference, only 21% of Idahoans watch cable (compared to 45% nationally and 57% in PA).
What does this mean for political advertisers?
Different audiences watch different things. But, really, not all that much.
I hope everyone had a great Holiday with their family, friends, loved ones and that everyone has a happy and safe New Years.
Will see you in 2026.
Chauncey