The National Football League (NFL) has publicly criticized Nielsen, the leading audience measurement company, for allegedly undercounting millions of viewers of its games, which could impact advertising revenue and future media rights negotiations.
NFL Chief Data and Analytics Officer Paul Ballew stated that Nielsen’s methodologies fail to accurately capture viewership, particularly for co-viewing (multiple people watching on the same screen) and streaming audiences. The NFL believes this undercounting could be costing billions, as higher viewership numbers allow media partners to charge more for commercials, strengthening the league’s position in TV rights deals.
The issue is significant because NFL games are the most-watched programming on U.S. television, and accurate viewership data is critical for the league’s $5.2 billion in seasonal advertising transactions.
- Nielsen’s “co-viewing factor” (estimated at 2.3-2.4 viewers per household) is too low, with NFL research suggesting a higher 2.8-2.9, potentially adding 15-20 million viewers for events like the Super Bowl.
- Additionally, Nielsen’s new “Big Data + Panel” methodology, which combines traditional panel data with data from 45 million homes and 75 million devices, lacks first-party audience data from major streaming platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and others, despite Nielsen’s claims of integrating data from these services.
To address this, the NFL has been experimenting with alternatives like VideoAmp, a firm specializing in streaming audience tracking, though it is not accredited by the Media Ratings Council.
The league’s push for more accurate measurements comes as it expands streaming options, with games available on platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN’s digital services. Nielsen, however, defends its improvements, asserting that its new methodology, including expanded out-of-home measurement, will make the 2025 season the “most accurately rated football season in history.”
The dispute reflects broader industry challenges as viewing habits shift from traditional TV to streaming, prompting the NFL and its broadcast partners to demand more robust data to capture fragmented audiences. While Nielsen remains the industry standard, the NFL’s public critique and exploration of competitors signal pressure for innovation in audience measurement.