NFL challenges Nielsen ratings: ‘Millions of viewers are being consistently undercounted’

2025 NFL Season Kickoff and Rating Concerns

The 2025 NFL season kicks off Thursday night, featuring the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, facing off against the Dallas Cowboys. In light of this upcoming matchup and the new season, the league has some interesting points to consider.

It’s not just the players in stripes getting attention; it’s about the Nielsen rating system and its accuracy. In a recent interview, Paul Bellew, the NFL’s chief of data and analytics, suggested that the league feels Nielsen is underreporting viewership for NFL games.

“We have millions of viewers who believe they’re systematically undercounting,” Bellew noted.

This statement comes as the NFL is shifting more of its games to exclusive streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix. For instance, Thursday night’s game, which is the opening match of the season, will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Netflix is set to return for a couple of games on Christmas Day, along with Peacock hosting some games later in the year.

There’s also an exciting week-long Friday night game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be available on both YouTube and YouTube TV.

In his conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Bellew, who sits on Nielsen’s advisory board, expressed two main concerns. One of them is the phenomenon of “co-viewing,” where groups come together to watch games. This is crucial for attracting NFL fans. Furthermore, he pointed out that Nielsen might not be fully capturing viewership data from streaming services. Specifically, Bellew believes that Nielsen’s metrics fail to incorporate “first-party audience data from most streaming platforms,” which is vital as the league increasingly moves toward streaming.

A Nielsen representative stated that they “are confident this will be the most accurately rated football season in history.”

Why does it matter to the NFL? Well, better ratings could lead to more informed decision-making as the league, often described as striving to reach its audience wherever they are, enhances its streaming strategy.