Nielsen Also Lowballed Local TV Ratings During Covid-19, Audit Finds

Review follows earlier confirmation of national audience pandemic undercount

Mark your calendar for Mediaweek, October 29-30 in New York City. We’ll unpack the biggest shifts shaping the future of media—from tv to retail media to tech—and how marketers can prep to stay ahead. Register with early-bird rates before sale ends!

A month after Nielsen confirmed that it had undercounted national television audiences by up to 6% during the Covid-19 pandemic, a third-party auditing firm has found that similar pandemic defects affected local television audience metrics.

The Media Rating Council, the nonprofit organization that audits Nielsen ratings, conducted an analysis of local television ratings across Nielsen’s 56 local metered markets and found “an overall understatement of reported viewing estimates” both in terms of overall household viewing data and in the 25-54 age demographic, it reported Tuesday.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber

View Subscription Options

Already a member? Sign in