Nielsen Kicks Off New Co-Viewing Effort On Super Bowl Sunday

• by Wayne Friedman , 7 hours ago

Looking for better co-viewing measurement of TV shows -- especially live TV events -- Nielsen is starting up a “new methodology enhancement.”

A pilot program will begin with the biggest single annual viewership program of the year -- live or otherwise -- Super Bowl LX on February 8, airing on NBC.

The pilot program will include high-profile sports and entertainment live events in the first half of the year. Results will be released a few weeks after the delivery of Nielsen final Big Data + Panel ratings.

“This co-viewing pilot builds on that mission, alongside our recent enhancements with Big Data + Panel, out of home expansion, live streaming measurement and our wearable devices,” said Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, in a press release.

Key to better co-viewing measurement is the use of Nielsen’s proprietary wearable measurement devices, which are worn on the wrists of Nielsen panelists and resemble a smart watch.

Wearable devices record audio from TV events, shows and movies, allowing for more passive measurement that does not require a formal log-in process.

Since it is a pilot program, the co-viewing data will not be immediately included in Big Data + Panel ratings from Nielsen. This data will not be considered “currency” -- says Nielsen -- that advertisers transact on.

Nielsen says these initial co-viewing estimates from the pilot program will not be immediately included in Big Data + Panel ratings from Nielsen. As such, they will not be considered “currency” that advertisers transact on,

Nielsen says the goal is for co-viewing methodology to be incorporated into “currency” measurement for the 2026-27 season.