NBC Sports Ditches Blended Ratings for Nielsen’s NFL Standard
The network will report its NFL audiences like other league rights holders.
NBC Sports is transitioning from its own Total Audience Delivery (TAD) figures to Nielsen’s standard methodology for measuring and reporting NFL viewership, effective with the season opener between the Patriots and Seahawks on Wednesday. This shift comes after preseason tensions among league rights holders and complaints from rival networks about NBC Sports' blended audience data.
The move aims to avoid scrutiny over competitive claims and enable marketing around NBC Sports' goal of maintaining its 16th consecutive season as the most-watched primetime program on U.S. television. The new approach will initially be applied to NFL and MLB games through January, with a decision on NBA measurement for the 2026-27 season pending.
Despite the change, NBC Sports will still use Adobe Analytics for digital content measurement and maintain internal streaming audience measurement via FreeWheel. The network is eager to kick off the 2026 NFL schedule with a strong performance, particularly the Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks.
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