Animals & Money: What's the hottest dog show on TV?
The Westminster Dog Show, which starts today, is no doubt the most glamorous and widely covered dog TV event in the country. But with all the new, more down-to-earth programming out there, it may be losing its status as the most important dog event in America, especially on TV.
Last year's broadcast of Westminster was an all-time record. But it still drew only 3.2 million people watching show on TV each night (up from 2.6 million in 2007) and another million watching online. Westminster isn't even the most popular dog show on TV. NBC airs the National Dog Show after the Thanksgiving Day Parade and gets 19.2 million people to watch. And it's taped ahead. In Reading, Pennsylvania.
DOG EVENT VIEWERS
National Dog Show 19.2 million
Puppy Bowl 8 million
Greatest American Dog 6.3 million
Animal Precinct 3.5 million
Westminster Dog Show 3.2 million
Dogtown 3.1 million
Incredible Dog Challenge 2.2 million
Dog Whisperer 1 million
