HispanicBusiness

More than 2 million U.S. Hispanic viewers watched the Boston Celtics hand a blowout defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the sixth and final game of the 2008 NBA championships. ABC's broadcast of the lopsided victory, which crushed the dreams of Lakers' fans for a comeback, earned double the ratings of any other English-language program for the week of June 16-22, according to numbers released by the Nielsen Media Group.

Reality programs that mixed fierce competition with virtuoso displays of talent and psychological drama also continued to attract large Hispanic audiences. Fox's program of aspiring dancers, SO YOU THINK CAN DANCE, took the seventh and tenth positions in the top ten, while NBC's variety contest AMERICA'S GOT TALENT took third.

A reality show of a completely different type, however, came in second on the list. AMERICA FIGHTS BACK, which seeks out exceptional Americans, not to celebrate their achievements, but to denounce and punish their crimes, was watched by more than 800,000 Hispanics, earning it a 3.9 rating.

Among Spanish-language shows, Univision and its powerful lineup of soap operas continued to dominate the ratings. Winding toward its climactic conclusion, AL DIABLO CON GUAPOS grabbed close to five million Hispanic viewers to lead all programs.

The special broadcast of the grand finale of the telenovela YO AMO JUAN QUERENDON was the fourth most-viewed program, pulling in an audience of 3.6 million. Started one year ago in June 2007, the lighthearted show recounted the improbable adventures in love of "Don Juan," played by Eduardo Santamarina. The show's hero was neither rich nor well dressed, yet all the female characters loved him for his kind heart and 'colorful' ways.

The following lists are TV ratings 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 (June 16-22, 2008)
1. NBA Finals, Game 6 – Tuesday (ABC) 10.6
2. America Fights Back – Saturday (Fox) 3.9
3. America's Got Talent – Tuesday (NBC) 3.8
4. Friday Night Smackdown – Friday (CW) 3.7
4. Gmc Nba Countdown - Game 6 – Tuesday (ABC) 3.7
6. Hell's Kitchen – Tuesday (Fox) 3.5
7. Family Guy – Sunday (Fox) 3.3
7. So You Think Can Dance – Thursday (Fox) 3.3
9. American Dad – Sunday (Fox) 3.2
10. So You Think Can Dance – Wednesday (Fox) 3.1
10. House – Monday (Fox) 3.1

Top 10 Spanish-language shows and their ratings (June 16-22, 2008)
1. Al Diablo con Guapos – Five-Night Avg. (Univision) 21.8
2. Fuego En La Sangre – Five-Night Avg. (Univision) 20.5
3. Don Francisco Presenta – Wednesday (Univision) 17.9
4. Grand Finale - Yo Amo Juan Querendon – Sunday (Univision) 16.6
5. Aqui Y Ahora – Tuesday (Univision) 15.3
6. Cristina – Monday (Univision) 15.0
7. Amas Casa Desesperads – Thursday (Univision) 14.6
8. Yo Amo Juan Querendon – Five-Night Avg. (Univision) 14.3
9. Fabrica de Risas – Friday (Univision) 11.4
10. Sabado Gigante – Saturday (Univision) 10.5