Nielsen’s The Gauge report delayed over streamer concerns
Nielsen’s The Gauge report delayed over streamer concerns
The ratings firm has incorporated new data into its methodology for measuring streaming performance, and it’s giving some streamers anxiety.
Nielsen’s The Gauge report is a reliable, easy-to-read snapshot of how people are consuming their TV each month. In January 2026, the report showed that streaming services accounted for 47% of all TV watched, while cable and broadcast combined to make up less than 43%. Streamers have grown accustomed to their time at the top, which is why they’ve been hesitant to allow Nielsen to go forward with the March report, which will offer details on viewing in February 2026. New data will show streamers with less viewership, and those platforms aren’t eager for the data to become public without more context.
Key Details:
- Not yet: Nielsen has delayed the next release of The Gauge report.
- Stop the count: Streamers are wary about the downturn in streaming viewership that the report will show.
- New formula: Nielsen is using new research in its methodology for measuring streaming views.
Variety was the first to report that Nielsen’s The Gauge report will be delayed by a week and will now be released on Tuesday, March 24. Streaming services have been fretting over the report, which will likely show a drop in streaming viewership — one that must be substantial if it’s causing so much distress.
Earlier this year, Nielsen implemented new data from a syndicated study called DASH, fielded in a partnership with polling firm NORC at the University of Chicago. Nielsen told clients that the use of this new data could end in a one-time expansion of the number of households that watch cable and broadcast TV, at the expense of the measured streaming audience.
“When we began our standard monthly Gauge previews with clients this week, some clients requested additional data around DASH implementation. We will be providing them with that information,” Nielsen said in a statement. “As a result, we are delaying the release of The Gauge one week to coincide with The Media Distributor Gauge release on March 24. We believe this will enable a smoother transition and give clients and the industry a better holistic view of February viewing.”
Nielsen expects the bump for cable and broadcast sources to be a one-month blip, and for streaming’s expansion of its audience to continue. But it will spend the next few days adding additional context about DASH to its next report, which was expected to show a boost for cable and broadcast sources anyway, thanks to broadcasts of the Olympics and Super Bowl LX in February.
The Gauge has become crucial for analysts and a fascinating look into the evolution of TV-watching for audiences. It holds important insights, revealing, for example, that YouTube continuously trounces Netflix and other paid streamers in terms of monthly viewing. But the public will have to wait a little longer for this month’s report, as Nielsen’s use of new data has streaming services worried about the drop in viewership it will show for them.
Netflix
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