Nielsen

"Nobody watches women's sports." Always lazy. Now it's disproven. This season, Nielsen ranked the Top 10 most-watched teams in the 2026 NCAA softball tournament. Alabama took the top spot as the most-watched team – drawing at least 1.4M viewers every WCWS game. Their losses to Texas Tech pulled 2M viewers each, and wins over UCLA and Nebraska averaged 1.35M and 1.5M, respectively. Here's the part that should make advertisers pay attention: Alabama's losses outdrew its wins. People weren't tuning in for a guaranteed outcome; they were tuning in for the drama. That's not casual viewership; that's fan base. #WomensSports #NCAASoftball #SportsBusiness #Nielsen #WCWS

Yellowjackets and The L Word both connect with LGBTQ+ audiences, but they do completely different jobs for brands. We looked at queer-themed titles in two ways: audience size and how heavily each impacts same-sex-couple households. Two distinct strategies emerged. ↔️ Some go wide: Titles like Yellowjackets and Harlem pull broad, mainstream crowds—the reach a big campaign needs. 🎯 Some go deep: Titles like Vida and The L Word reach smaller, but highly invested core LGBTQ+ households—niche audiences, but concentrated, high-affinity viewing. �� The rare titles do both. Heated Rivalry, Boots, and Overcompensating capture broad mainstream attention while still over-indexing among the households most invested in these stories. That overlap is hard to find, and it's where a single buy works twice as hard. In collaboration with GLAAD. Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, said it best in our latest article: "Mainstream audiences actively seek out LGBTQ stories. To drive growth, producing inclusive content and investing in dedicated advertising support to drive broad market awareness are vital business practices." So the question for brands isn't whether to show up in LGBTQ+ content. 🏳️🌈 It's what you're buying: reach, resonance, or the rare title that delivers both. The data shows you exactly where each one lands. Read the full article 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejSRzSBF #MediaIntelligence #NielsenOne #AudienceMeasurement

Can one player influence an entire tournament’s views and ratings? The data says yes. Across her career, Serena Williams didn’t just win titles; she changed tennis’ audience. 🎾 2018 US Open: Viewership surged 82% on the days she played compared to the days she didn't 🎾 2022 US Open: She lifted first-week network ratings by 101% year-over-year 🎾 Her 2022 third-round match drew 4.8M viewers and peaked at 6.9M – the most-watched tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history. That same run? Her opening match quadrupled the prior year’s window and beat both the men’s and women’s finals from the year before. Not the matchup. Not the games. Just her. That’s the Serena Effect. Now, for the first time in nearly four years, she’s back. And as the Wimbledon 2026 Championships kick off, it’s exactly the kind of star power brands, networks, and platforms are competing to capture. And exactly what Nielsen measures across every screen. Read the full Serena Effect article ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eNhnzEZC #Wimbledon2026 #NielsenOne #MediaIntelligence

32 ❌ 31 teams left. Canada edges out South Africa by a single goal to advance. Whose shirt are you wearing now? 64% of soccer fans say their interest in the sport will keep growing — win, lose or draw. Whatever happens on the pitch, the passion doesn't stop. Pause on your flag. Tell us below. Every game matters. Nielsen sees all of it. Learn more in the World Cup Media Intelligence Hub 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekai6tYM

Fans aren't just watching live sports anymore. They're rewriting the playbook. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is proving it. 🎧 The Round Out is back with Episode 2. Our very own Julie DeTraglia, Head of Content and Strategic Insights and Brian Fuhrer, SVP of Product Strategy & Thought Leadership, sit down with Federico Garza, SVP, Research Strategy & Insights at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, to break down how Hispanic sports fans are driving viewership growth and reshaping the media landscape. Culture, fandom, and media consumption are colliding and the brands that understand it have a real edge. 🎙️You don’t want to miss this one. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eXh9DiKj. #TheRoundOut #Nielsen #FIFAWorldCup2026 #SportsMedia

When people think of America's soccer cities, Miami isn't always the first place that comes to mind. But the data suggests it should be. 43.3% of Miami residents are soccer fans. The highest of any World Cup host city. And 96.6% of them are on social media for soccer content right now. Today, Scotland faces Brazil in a city that was already paying attention before anyone arrived. The game is everywhere. Nielsen sees all of it. Want to learn more about the audiences driving the world's biggest sporting moments? Visit the World Cup Media Intelligence Hub 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4vwvaj4 #FIFAWorldCup2026 #MediaIntelligence #TheGameBehindTheGame

The Croisette is calling. We’ve been at Hotel Martinez all week bringing together the brightest minds in media, sport, and marketing for curated conversations you won't want to miss. On the agenda today: Sessions on the creator economy, CTV measurement, and how media intelligence is reshaping the industry. Want in? Request an invite through the link. https://lnkd.in/eVHwjsTe

Big data. Big win. 🏆 Nielsen's Big Data + Panel was named Best Sports Data, Measurement or Analytics Innovation at the 2026 Cynopsis Sports Awards! We're honored to be recognized for the innovation that helps the industry better understand major sports audiences. By using set-top box data with smart TV signals across 45 million households, we brought the most accurate sports numbers in the game for publishers, broadcasters and beyond. Measuring 1 trillion+ minutes of viewing a month, we’re committed to setting the standard for accuracy from football to basketball and beyond on every platform. #NielsenOne #MediaIntelligence #MediaInsights #AudienceMeasurement  

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, we're here. ☀️ What a way to kick off the week on the French Riviera. Today, the Nielsen Hub is buzzing with can't-miss conversations, exciting events, and new connections. 👀 Join us today at Hotel Martinez for: 🎙️ Axios x Nielsen: The Future of Audience Attention ⚽ FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States Watch Party 💬 Conversations with Nielsen leaders and industry peers throughout the day And we're just getting started. With a packed week of discussions, watch parties, and industry conversations ahead, there's plenty more to come. Can't make it today? Don't worry. We have more exciting events, conversations, and watch parties planned throughout the week. ➡️ RSVP for upcoming events here: https://lnkd.in/eVHwjsTe #CannesLions #Cannes2026 #MediaIntelligence #FIFAWorldCup2026 #TheGameBehindTheGame

Did you guess right? 76% say they’re more likely to connect with a fandom that reflects who they are. And for soccer fans, fandom isn’t a pastime. It’s identity. Their heritage, their values, their story. That shapes how they buy too. 68% are more likely to purchase when a brand partners with the creators and organizations tied to their fandom. As the FIFA World Cup 2026™ arrives on home soil, that’s the real opportunity for brands. This matters more than a logo on a jersey. The brands that win are the ones that show up authentically, alongside the people, platforms and culture fans already trust. Our latest report, The Fans Behind the Game takes a closer look at the crowds behind the action, uncovering the audiences and behaviors driving modern soccer fandom. ⚽ Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gb7t6t9M #FIFAWorldCup2026 #TheGameBehindTheGame #MediaIntelligence