I’ve been meaning to write this one for some time. Hopefully, it will be as much for you to play as it was for me to write. Some TV, some from other media. The numbers are fascinating because they provide our collective media diet with a sense of scale. You may want to jot down your answers on a pad and pencil…

1. Which cable network is watched by the most people every day?

1. Fox News Channel
2. The Weather Channel
3. Nickelodeon
4. ESPN

2. How about the second most-watched?

1. Disney Channel
2. Nickelodeon
3. Food Network
4. TNT

3. With nearly 10 million viewers for its most popular episode, what was last week’s most popular series on cable?

1. The Big Bang Theory
2. NCIS
3. Sponge Bob Square Pants
4. Duck Dynasty

4. Among adults 18-34, which was the most watched cable network in prime time last week?

1. Comedy Central
2. MTV
3. History
4. TNT

5. How many people watched last Thursday night’s airing of Swamp People on History (the most popular episode of a prime time cable series that night)?

1. 4 million
2. 8 million
3. 12 million
4. 16 million

6. On that same night, how many people watched The Daily Show’s 11PM airing?

1. Less than 2 million
2. 3 million
3. 4 million
4. 5 million

7. Daily circulation of USA Today?

1. Half-million
2. 1.7 million
3. 5.2 million
4. 10 millon

8. Last week’s syndicated programs in order of popularity:

1. Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Family Feud, Family Guy
2. Family Guy, Jeopardy!, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune
3. Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Family Guy, Jeopardy!
4. Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Family Guy

9. Number of people who watched CBS’s Sherlock Holmes drama series, Elementary:

1. 5 million
2. 10 million
3. 15 million
4. 20 million

10. On the same night, number of people who watched NBC’s The Office:

1. 1 million
2. 2 million
3. 3 million
4. 7  million

11. Circulation of Sunday New York Times.

1. 1.2 million
2. 2.4 million
3. 4.8 million
4. 9.6 million

12. You may know that AARP’s magazines top the circulation charts with over 20 million units. What’s next on that chart (with more than 7 million)?

1. Reader’s Digest
2. People
3. Sports Illustrated
4. Game Informer

13. The Fifty Shades of Grey book series has sold a total of more than ____ ebooks.

1. 1 million
2. 5 million
3. 15 million
4. 25 million

14. So far, this year, how many copies of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been sold in the U.S.?

1. 1 thousand
2. 10 thousand
3. 50 thousand
4. More than 100,000

15. In a typical week, roughly how many units of each audiobook on the top 10 best seller list are sold?

1. Less than 200
2. 250-500
3. 500-1,000
4. 2,500 – 5,000

16. Last week’s best selling videogame in the U.S. was Injustice: Gods Among Us. If you were to combine the sales of units for X360 and PS3, how many units were sold?

1. 35,000
2. 135,000
3. 350,000
4. 1,350,000

17. Last week’s top grossing film was Oblivion. How many people went to see that movie?

1. 500,000
2. 1,500,000
3. 6 million
4. 16 million

18. Vinyl has enjoyed something of a resurgence. In fact, the re-release of The Beatles’ Abbey Road turned out to be quite popular How many units did the new vinyl version of Abbey Road sell last year?

1. 300
2. 3,000
3. 30,000
4. 130,000

All of the answers come from well-regarded sources of media research and data.

Let’s see how you did. The answers follow the WBZ-TV Test Pattern below.

1. Which cable network is watched by the most people every day?

1. Fox News Channel
2. The Weather Channel
3. Nickelodeon
4. ESPN

(You must consider the sheer number of hours that our children spend in front of TV sets. Far more than just about any sports fan.)

2. How about the second most-watched?

1. Disney Channel
2. Nickelodeon
3. Food Network
4. TNT

3. With nearly 10 million viewers for its most popular episode, what was last week’s most popular series on cable?

1. The Big Bang Theory
2. NCIS
3. Sponge Bob Square Pants
4. Duck Dynasty

Duck solidly beats the competition with over 10 million viewers.

4. Among adults 18-34, which was the most watched cable network in prime time last week?

1. Comedy Central
2. MTV
3. History
4. TNT

5. How many people watched last Thursday night’s airing of Swamp People on History (the most popular episode of a prime time cable series that night)?

1. 4 million
2. 8 million
3. 12 million
4. 16 million

(Not as many people as I would have thought, but then, television viewership is now very fragmented, so it’s very difficult to garner audiences of any significant size.)

6. On that same night, how many people watched The Daily Show’s 11PM airing?

1. Less than 2 million
2. 3 million
3. 4 million
4. 5 million

The Daily Show is popular, but night after night, its ratings are fairly modest, especially in comparison with powerhouse series (like Duck Dynasty).

7. Daily circulation of USA Today?

1. Half-million
2. 1.7 million
3. 5.2 million
4. 10 millon

Actually, the number is above 1.6 million. 

8. Last week’s syndicated programs in order of popularity:

1. Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Family Feud, Family Guy
2. Family Guy, Jeopardy!, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune
3. Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Family Guy, Jeopardy!
4. Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud, Family Guy

Wheel continues to kill in the ratings, night after night. The other series are in the top ten, but nobody beats Sajak.

9. Number of people who watched CBS’s Sherlock Holmes drama series, Elementary:

1. 5 million
2. 10 million
3. 15 million
4. 20 million

A good solid prime time series in 2013 rarely tops 10 or 12 million viewers.

10. On the same night, number of people who watched NBC’s The Office:

1. 1 million
2. 2 million
3. 3 million
4. 7  million

No surprise. The Office is ready for retirement. So, too, is the similarly rated Parks & Recreation.

11. Circulation of Sunday New York Times

1. 1.2 million
2. 2.4 million
3. 4.8 million
4. 9.6 million

How many readers?  Easily twice that number because the paper often lingers through the week.

12. You may know that AARP’s magazines top the circulation charts with over 20 million units. What’s next on that chart (with more than 7 million)?

1. Reader’s Digest
2. People
3. Sports Illustrated
4. Game Informer

The surprising answer has increased circulation int he past year by several hundred thousand. Next on the list is Better Homes and Gardens with roughly comparable numbers. Reader’s Digest comes in at about 5.5 million, followed by Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and National Geographic in the 4 million range. For more, click on this link.

13. The Fifty Shades of Grey book series has sold a total of more than ____ ebooks.

1. 1 million
2. 5 million
3. 15 million
4. 25 million

14. So far, this year, how many copies of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been sold in the U.S.?

1. 1 thousand
2. 10 thousand
3. 50 thousand
4. More than 100,000

15. In a typical week, roughly how many units of each audiobook on the top 10 best seller list are sold?

1. Less than 200
2. 250-500
3. 500-1,000
4. 2,500 – 5,000

16. Last week’s best selling videogame in the U.S. was Injustice: Gods Among Us. If you were to combine the sales of units for X360 and PS3, how many units were sold?

1. 35,000
2. 135,000
3. 350,000
4. 1,350,000

17. Last week’s top grossing film was Oblivion. How many people went to see that movie?

1. 500,000
2. 1,500,000
3. 6 million
4. 16 million

18. Vinyl has enjoyed something of a resurgence. In fact, the re-release of The Beatles’ Abbey Road turned out to be quite popular How many units did the new vinyl version of Abbey Road sell last year?

1. 300
2. 3,000
3. 30,000
4. 130,000

The best selling CD of the year was Adele’s 21; it sold over 4 million units.