College football audiences about to get bigger with Nielsen’s new tracking

Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State, Florida State, LSU, Oregon, Auburn and Tennessee are among the schools expected to see their ratings rise. Early data suggests ratings for some programs could jump by as much as 7 percent in national windows.

In terms of households, the change is notable. Nielsen will now measure 666,300 homes in the Memphis area, which includes Ole Miss. Wisconsin adds another 443,200 homes, while Notre Dame’s South Bend base accounts for 331,800. These additions represent a clear ratings lift for networks, especially during nationally televised Saturday games.

Big Data + Panel Brings New Accuracy To College Football Ratings

Beyond out-of-home expansion, Nielsen is rolling out Big Data + Panel across the board. The system combines traditional panel data with massive datasets from set-top boxes and smart TVs in 45 million households. Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao has called it “the most accurate TV measurement to date.”

For college football, the timing is critical. The sport already trails only the NFL in overall audience, but its numbers have often been understated. Before Nielsen began tracking out-of-home audiences in 2020, millions of fans in bars or alumni watch parties were never credited. ESPN helped push the shift by securing the first out-of-home guarantees nearly a decade ago.

Ad sales reflect the changes. Pricing for college football windows is up about 5 percent year-over-year, led by categories like soft drinks, insurance and fast food. With an additional 8,600 out-of-home panelists being recruited, the industry expects even more refinement. For networks navigating declining cable subscriptions and rising streaming competition, every new impression matters.

The upgrades arrive as television undergoes fundamental change. Pay-TV penetration is now just over half of U.S. households, down from a peak of more than 90 percent. As audiences continue to fragment, the ability to fully account for live sports consumption becomes a crucial advantage.

For college football, that means the crowds that have always fueled the sport’s unique culture will finally be represented in the ratings. The networks will see stronger numbers, advertisers will pay closer attention and Saturday’s communal rituals will carry even more weight on the balance sheets.

College football was already a juggernaut on television, but with Nielsen’s new tracking, the sport is positioned to grow even larger in both perception and value.

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