The news: NBCUniversal alleged that measurement company Nielsen underreported traditional TV viewership to the detriment of its biggest clients, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Nielsen postponed an update to its Gauge report that would have incorporated viewing survey data from the Advertising Research Foundation after streaming companies questioned estimates showing their audiences were shrinking. The update would have increased reported audiences for broadcast and cable.

Nielsen scrapped the release after the Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute reported that Nielsen’s February data put traditional TV ahead, breaking with the prior nine-month trend. Using its previous approach gives streaming a much larger lead.

Zooming out: This isn’t the only critique against Nielsen products that has come out recently.

• The Media Rating Council (MRC), an independent body that certifies TV measurement offerings, said in March that it discovered “unusual changes in measurement results” from Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel hybrid TV measurement currency dating back to early 2025.
• The MRC noted issues like a 10% decline in total day impressions for consumers between the ages of 25 and 55, issues with demographic and household viewing representation, and changes in the variability between Big Data + Panel and standalone Panel-only results.

Implications for marketers: NBCU’s critique could convince some marketers to shift ad budgets toward Nielsen’s competitors. Nielsen remains the most widely used currency provider among major networks, but growing criticism from those clients casts doubt on the industry standard.

Problems with Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel product could create additional hesitation among marketers that rely on the company’s cross-platform currency. Contested impression declines and audience representation may make buyers more cautious about how much they depend on Nielsen data in planning and measurement.

Mounting scrutiny could make Nielsen’s major measurement competitors, including Comscore, VideoAmp, and iSpot, more appealing—especially given that these providers already have a mix of support from major media networks like NBCU, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney and are gaining ground in marketer adoption.