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

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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