Tag: Nielsen

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook carries the ball almost into the end zone on this plus 10-yard carry during the second half of their game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025.

NFL Week 1 delivers big ratings to networks

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Television networks reported a record number of viewers for Week 1 NFL games.

The ratings were determined using Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel audience measurement system, which utilizes more metrics to figure the numbers than in the past.

CBS said late Tuesday that its overall average was 20.38 million viewers, with the national game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers averaging 23.89 million viewers.

The network said both measurements were the highest in Week 1 since 1998.

Fox said its Week 1 NFL singleheader slot averaged 17.9 million viewers, the most for any network in that category since 2015.

NBC’s airing of the Buffalo Bills’ comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens averaged 24.7 million viewers. That figure is the best for a Sunday opener in three years.

–Field Level Media

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Sep 5, 2025; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Corinthians Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images

YouTube touts 16.2M viewers for Chiefs-Chargers game in Brazil

Posted on | by Field Level Media

YouTube reported a Nielsen-measured audience of 16.2 million viewers of its broadcast of the second game of the NFL season last Friday.

The AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil, which took place in Sao Paulo, kicked off the league’s International Series for the 2025 season.

The Google-owned YouTube also estimated global viewership at 1.1 million, bringing the total figure to approximately 17.3 million.

ESPN was among other networks which disputed the reported figures because Nielsen used a “custom methodology” for Chargers-Chiefs, which would lend itself to an unfair comparison to other networks. Moreover, since February, Nielsen is using out-of-home viewing in its calculus, which will reflect higher numbers than in previous years.

By comparison, the 2025 YouTube broadcast compares favorably with the 2024 game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles game on Peacock, also in Brazil, which drew 14.2 million viewers. It fell just short of Amazon Prime Video’s top-streamed game of last season, the Packers-Detroit Lions contest, which drew 17.3 million.

Netflix’ pair of 2024 Christmas Day NFL streamed broadcasts reported 24 million viewers for each game.

The Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game, which kicked off the 2025 season on Sept. 4, averaged 28.3 million viewers on NBC/Peacock. The game peaked at 34.3 million, but an hour weather delay caused it to fall short of the all-time record of the 29.2 million average, set by Baltimore Ravens-Chiefs in the 2024 season debut.

–Field Level Media

Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the NFL logo on the goalpost pads before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Report: Lightning, Nielsen may create a shock to TNF ratings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Could a combination of delays spell bad TV ratings news for the NFL’s Thursday night season opener?

According to a report by Front Office Sports on Friday, the NFL entered the season anticipating delays in gathering ratings data as Nielsen this week implemented a system designed to better gauge viewership through both linear and streaming platforms.

Because of the increased data and surveyed data points (according to FOS, “all major sports broadcasters” will be used in the data gathering), the NFL expects the ratings for the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday to be released sometime next week.

Adding to the concern is the hour-plus lightning delay in the third quarter that did not see the game end until nearly 20 minutes past midnight local time.

In a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday, NFL chief data and analytics officer Paul Ballew expressed concern about the impact Nielsen’s system — known as the Big Data + Panel methodology — would have on the league’s viewership numbers.

“There are millions of viewers that we believe they are systematically undercounting,” Ballew told the paper.

Though the methodology this season is different from previous seasons, the FOS report did point to a game in 2024 that experienced a similar delay.

In Week 5 of last season, kickoff between the Cowboys and Steelers in Pittsburgh was delayed nearly 90 minutes because of lightning. Despite the Cowboys winning 20-17 on a touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining (and the game featuring two of the league’s marquee franchises), the game that ended at 1 a.m. ET drew 23 percent fewer viewers that the Week 5 Sunday night game a year earlier.

–Field Level Media

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A Super Bowl Vince Lombardi Trophy at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine Experience at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Record Super Bowl LIX audience boosted to 191.1M by Nielsen

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For the second time since Super Bowl LIX, Nielsen has adjusted its calculation of how many people tuned into the game.

What was already a record audience now stands at 191.9 million people who viewed at least one minute of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Nielsen said Friday.

The game averaged 127.7 million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, Telemundo and streaming services, according to Nielsen. On Feb. 18, the company released results from a new Big Data + Panel “Reach” methodology that found 182.8 million unique viewers watched at least one minute of Super Bowl LIX.

A recalculation has now added more than nine million new viewers to the final count.

For comparison, last year’s Super Bowl in which Kansas City defeated San Francisco set the previous record at 182.2 million.

Big Data + Panel Reach replaced the company’s previously used Total Audience metric.

–Field Level Media

Philadelphia Eagles fan Matt Quinn reacts as the Kansas City Chiefs score a touchdown against the Eagles at a watch party for Super Bowl LVII at Grotto Pizza in Wilmington, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. The Chiefs won 38-35 P15wil Super Bowl 021223

Record 182.8M tuned into Super Bowl LIX

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A record 182.8 million unique viewers turned into Super Bowl LIX for at least one minute, according to new Nielsen data released on Tuesday.

Nielsen previously announced that the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans averaged a record 127.7 million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, Telemundo and streaming services.

The higher numbers announced Tuesday are from Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel “Reach” methodology. The new metric “more precisely measures out-of-home viewing,” according to Nielsen.

The reach of 182.8 million viewers exceeded the previous record of 182.2 million set one year earlier with Super Bowl LVIII.

Historically, Nielsen has used a Total Audience measurement. The company said it retired that metric in January in favor of the new Big Data + Panel numbers.

–Field Level Media

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts holds the Lombardi Trophy during the championship trophy presentation after the Eagles' game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Super Bowl LIX draws record 127.7 million viewers

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A record 127.7 million viewers watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, according to the official Nielsen numbers released Tuesday.

The game in New Orleans aired on Fox, Fox Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi and drew a combined average household rating of 41.7 and combined household share of 83. The audience peaked at 137.7 million during the second quarter, from 8 to 8:15 p.m. ET.

Viewership was up 3.2 percent over the previous year, when a then-record 123.7 million watched the Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas.

The Super Bowl is annually the most watched U.S. telecast of the year. In fact, 19 of the top 20 most-viewed telecasts in national history are Super Bowls, the lone exception being the final episode of the sitcom “M*A*S*H,” which drew 105.9 million viewers in 1983.

–Field Level Media

Georgia mascot Hairy Dawg arrives before the start of a NCAA college football game against Massachusetts in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.

Nielsen numbers: Georgia was most-watched team in 2024

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Georgia Bulldogs were the most-watched team during the 2024 college football regular season, according to Nielsen numbers released Wednesday.

Georgia (11-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) averaged 8.6 million viewers per game, boosted by its marquee matchups with Alabama on Sept. 28 (12 million) and Texas on Oct. 19 (13 million).

The Bulldogs’ 30-15 victory against the then-No. 1 Longhorns in Austin was the season’s most-watched game.

Ohio State (6.8 million) ranked second in average total viewership, with Alabama (6.6), Texas (6.4) and Tennessee (5.4) rounding out the top five. They were followed by Michigan (5.2), Texas A&M (4.9), LSU (4.8), Kentucky (4.5) and Florida (4.3).

For the first time, Nielsen also announced its “conference champions” list of the most-watched teams in each FBS league: Army (AAC), Miami (ACC), Colorado (Big 12), Ohio State (Big Ten), UTEP (Conference USA), Notre Dame (independents), Colorado State (Mountain West), Oregon State (Pac-12), Georgia (SEC) and Marshall (Sun Belt).

Per Nielsen, more than 154 billion minutes of college football were watched live this season across the networks owned by Disney, FOX, NBC and others.

–Field Level Media

From left, Philadelphia Eagles fans Jennifer Sult, Wanda Paris and Stephanie Napier hug in celebration of a touchdown during a watch party for the Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII game at Grotto Pizza in Wilmington, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. P4wil Super Bowl 021223

Super Bowl LVII was most-watched U.S. telecast ever

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The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII was the most-watched U.S.-based telecast of all time, according to revised Nielsen ratings released Tuesday.

The Chiefs’ 38-35 win on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., drew an average of 115.1 million viewers across all platforms — nearly 2 million more than Nielsen’s previous announcement in February.

The updated numbers surpass the previous record of 114.4 million viewers for the New England Patriots’ win over the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015.

Tuesday’s change was “the result of a thorough review by Nielsen that revealed irregularities in the encoding that enables Nielsen’s measurement of TV viewing as well as in the measurement of out-of-home viewing,” Fox Sports said in a statement.

Nielsen’s numbers include viewers who either watched Super Bowl LVII on the Fox or Fox Deportes TV networks or streamed the game on Fox digital properties or NFL+.

The “irregularities” were initially identified by the NFL, which informed Nielsen that the league-owned NFL Network might be getting credit for viewers who actually watched the game on one of the Fox platforms.

–Field Level Media

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards (57) during the second quarter in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12, 2023. Nfl Super Bowl Lvii Kansas City Chiefs Vs Philadelphia Eagles

Nielsen: 113M watched Super Bowl, No. 3 TV broadcast of all time

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Super Bowl LVII earned an average TV audience of 113 million people, Nielsen reported Monday, making it the third most-watched Super Bowl on record and the third most-watched television broadcast of all time.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles came up just shy of the record of 114.4 million viewers, on average, that watched the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015.

Super Bowl LI, the Patriots’ famed 34-28 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in February 2017, hit 113.7 million for Fox between network and streaming, making Chiefs-Eagles Fox Sports’ second most-watched broadcast ever.

About 106 million viewers watched Super Bowl LVII on Fox and Fox Deportes, and the other seven million utilized streaming platforms that factored into the total.

It represents a modest bump over last year’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, which reported 112.3 million viewers on average.

Rihanna’s halftime show drew an average of 118.7 million viewers, Nielsen said, making it the second most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance on record.

The average of seven million streams made Super Bowl LVII the most-streamed Super Bowl to date, Fox said.

Predictably, Kansas City and Philadelphia were the top two metered markets for the broadcast, followed by Cincinnati, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Final Nielsen data is expected to be released Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) holds the Lombardi Trophy as he is interviewed by NBC sports host Mike Tirico after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NFL/Nielsen Survey: More than 200M watched Super Bowl LVI

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An estimated 208 million-plus people in the United States watched the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals last month in Super Bowl LVI, according to a survey conducted by the NFL and Nielsen.

The survey was designed to complement Nielsen’s data on viewership and found that about two-thirds of the U.S. population watched as least one minute of the game.

Nielsen initially put that figure at 167 million unique viewers, and the survey showed the figure actually was 25 percent higher.

The custom survey measured 6,600 households.

“While it’s no secret that the Super Bowl is the biggest event across the media landscape on a yearly basis, the exact number of people watching the game has been challenging to pinpoint given the fact that people tend to gather in groups to watch the game,” said Paul Ballew, the chief data and analytics officer of the NFL. “We’re grateful for the work put into this custom survey by Nielsen, the results of which we feel provide the most accurate picture to date of the total viewership for this unique event.”

It previously was reported that the Feb. 13 telecast of Super Bowl LVI on NBC, Telemundo, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, NFL Digital platforms and Yahoo Sports mobile properties averaged 112.3 million viewers. That was the most viewers for any television programming since an average of 113.7 million people watched Super Bowl LI in February 2017.

–Field Level Media