Nielsen is set to change its viewership methodology; a return to ESPN could be coming for Michael Smith; MLS is relocating its production facilities; and Amazon announces its NASCAR studio team.
Nielsen to transition to “Big Data” ratings
The Nielsen audience measurement company will stop providing networks with “panel-only” viewership data by the end of 2025, according to The Wall Street Journal. Nielsen will switch to only providing the “Big Data+panel” ratings, which combine the panel viewership (which has been the standard viewership measurement for decades) with “Big Data” which incorporates third-party viewership data, including from Smart TV manufacturers. The Big Data ratings received accreditation from the Media Rating Council, which represents the networks, allowing it to be used to sell advertisements.
Amazon has been separately reporting Big Data viewership for its Thursday Night Football telecasts this season. For example, the December 5 Packers-Lions game averaged 17.29 million viewers on a panel-only basis. Later, when the Big Data measurement was released, the average viewership was 18.48 million, an increase of nearly 7%.
The change will almost certainly result in a new era of “record-high ratings” for the NFL and other leagues, even if those records come only due to changes in methodology. As has been widely documented by this site, the inclusion of out-of-home viewership in Nielsen’s ratings beginning in 2020 is the primary driver of many sports’ record ratings in the early 2020s, which created apples-to-oranges comparisons when comparing historical ratings.
Michael Smith in return talks with ESPN
Former SportsCenter anchor Michael Smith, who was dismissed from the ESPN in 2019 after a 15-year run with the network, is in “exploratory talks” about a return to ESPN, according to Front Office Sports. A possible return could see Smith return to SportsCenter or another role with ESPN’s news operation.
Smith’s first run with ESPN was marked by his partnership with Jemele Hill, with whom he hosted “His & Hers”, and eventually the 6 PM hour of SportsCenter beginning in 2017. Both Hill and Smith were removed from SportsCenter in early 2018, a prelude to both later departing the company as a whole.
In the interim, Smith has hosted a sports studio show for Peacock and also appeared on Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage.
IMG relocating MLS production to WWE studios
IMG, which has produced Major League Soccer telecasts for Apple TV since 2023, announced Monday it is relocating its MLS production facilities to the WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT ahead of the 2025 season. Studio coverage for the league will also originate in Stamford. The move allows MLS to utilize WWE Studios’ “best-in-class production offerings and new cutting-edge technology to further elevate the production of MLS Season Pass”. The first two seasons utilized production efforts split between multiple New York City offices.
While the vast majority of MLS matches are optimized for in-person attendance, kicking off 7:30 PM local time on Saturday, Sports Business Journal reports that MLS will also program a featured, standalone Sunday night match beginning this season. The move would seem to put MLS in direct competition with the flagship national telecast of Major League Baseball, with which Apple TV also has a relationship.
Amazon announces NASCAR studio team
Prime Video’s coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series will feature pre-race studio coverage hosted by Danielle Trotta and Corey LaJoie, the company announced Monday. Studio coverage will be live and on-site at each race location, leading into the race telecast anchored by Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Letarte.
Prime Video’s five-week run with NASCAR begins on May 25 with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.
