Extreme Makeover: Product Placement Edition

Funniest story of the day, thanks to our friends at MediaPost: A new study found that NBC's "The Contender" led all series last year in terms of product placement.  Probably no surprise, given producer Mark Burnett's fondness for selling the background space for his shows.

But here's the punchline: According to Nielsen Media Research, "The Contender" averaged ... FIVE HUNDRED AND ONE PRODUCT PLACEMENTS PER HOUR.

And as Jack Paar used to say about Steve Allen's song oeuvre, "Name two."

Link: MediaPost Publications - Product Placement 500 times An Episode: Too Much? - 01/06/2006.

There will only be one product placement in this post: TiVo just announced its Series 3 DVR with high-definition recording, a front-panel display (finally), and more.