Nielsen

📊 Digital audio and connected TV (CTV) may be powerful channels individually, but together they're even more effective. Our latest research found that audiences exposed to both digital audio and CTV were far more likely to recall an advertiser than those exposed to either channel alone. The findings also highlight the power of an audience-first, cross-channel strategy, where messages are reinforced across environments and audiences have multiple opportunities to engage. But why should advertisers care? Because it's not simply about adding another channel. It's about connecting the strengths of each medium to drive greater awareness, recall and action. Explore the full insight: https://lnkd.in/epSxXzaB

New week. New No. 1. And the closest race of the season so far 🏈 This week's most-watched college football teams are:  1️⃣ The University of Texas at Austin: 8.64M viewers 2️⃣ The Ohio State University: 8.50M viewers 3️⃣ Louisiana State University: 8.49M viewers 4️⃣ University of Wisconsin-Madison: 7.42M viewers 5️⃣ University of Michigan: 6.19M viewers Just 150K viewers separate the top three. Texas held almost exactly the same audience as last week, while Ohio State's fell by more than 5M. That's the kind of shift that tells media planners where attention is really moving, not just who won on Saturday. Did your team make this week's top 5? 👀 #Nielsen #MediaIntelligence #CollegeFootball #SportsMedia

After the longest hiatus in its history, FX’s American Horror Story returns tonight. But the viewing never stopped. 🔮 From May 2024 to August 2026, Americans spent more than 7 billion minutes streaming the series on Hulu. That’s over 13,000 years spent with Murder House, Asylum, Coven and the rest of its first twelve installments while waiting for number 13. For advertisers, there’s a story about what happened between releases. New episodes weren’t driving that viewing, yet the franchise continued to draw attention, and interest climbed again as the premiere approached. Explore our full analysis of what audiences watched while they waited: https://lnkd.in/e3fgS4SD

Every campaign raises the questions: Is this working? Is this impactful? Are we reaching the audience we intended? These questions don’t go away once an ad launches. They only get louder. Inside the Nielsen Media Intelligence Lab, we break down how data and the right insights bring the world’s biggest campaigns to life. From competitive intelligence during the planning stages, real-time ad metrics to optimize mid-flight, and outcomes that tell the story of the impact and inform what’s next. This is where impact gets proven. Step into the new NYC Lab: https://lnkd.in/eDJA3gnM #Nielsen #MediaIntelligence #NYC

The votes are in, and the answer proves we need to look beyond the playground. SpongeBob SquarePants generated a whopping 16.9 billion viewing minutes in the first half of 2026 but its biggest audience wasn’t kids aged 2 to 11 years. It was adults between the ages of 18 and 34. SpongeBob ranked #2 overall among that age group, actually ahead of its #3 spot among kids. For advertisers, this is proof that legacy titles don’t just keep recruiting new audiences, they keep the original audience that grew up alongside it. Discover what else audiences are watching in 2026 mid-year streaming rankings 👉 https://lnkd.in/efphP23r

Survivor is back! 🏝️ As season 51 kicks off, we took a look back at the hit competition show that has captured fans' attention for a quarter of a century. Season 50 wrapped up earlier this year with 5.8 million viewers tuning into the live finale, the most watched season finale since Season 40. Beyond the current season, fans have had a lot of content to stream. And while no one has attempted to do Survivor at home, they have definitely been watching. With previous seasons available across CBS, Paramount+, and Pluto TV, fans have viewed over 556.7 million hours this year. What is your favorite Survivor moment? Let us know in the comments 👉

The 2026 mid-year streaming rankings revealed some unexpected results that might surprise you. Before we share the numbers, we want to know: where do you think SpongeBob SquarePants found its biggest audience in the first half of 2026?

Two ways to show up. One growing audience 🗣️ Podcasts now capture 20% of daily ad-supported audio time among U.S. adults, behind only radio itself. 90% of monthly podcast consumers listen. 62% watch. Across the top 10 genres, 69% do both, and only 2% watch exclusively. Sports is the outlier: 77% of sports podcast consumers both listen and watch, the closest parity of any genre, and soccer fans are nearly twice as likely as the general population to turn to podcasts for the games. Format also predicts what happens next. 46% of listeners look up a product online after hearing an ad, and 25% buy. Watchers convert at 29%, and they're far more likely to follow or post about a brand afterward. Look at commute hours, and this audience is ambient, half-listening while they move through the day. Look at their downtime, and they're locked in, watching with full attention. The truth is neither. It's both, depending on the hour. See how audiences tune in: https://lnkd.in/egfSxtQt

College football has officially kicked off with a bang and this week’s college football viewership numbers are in 🏈 The top most-watched teams are: 1️⃣ Ohio State – 13.9M viewers 2️⃣ Texas – 8.6M viewers 3️⃣ Oklahoma – 8.2M viewers 4️⃣ Wisconsin – 7.4M viewers 5️⃣ Kentucky – 7.2M viewers Ohio State drew nearly double the second runner in viewership this week. That’s the kind of number that moves a media plan, not just a fandom scoreboard. Did your team crack the top 10 most watched this week? 👀 The Ohio State University, Texas Football, University of Oklahoma, Wisconsin Athletics, Kentucky Wildcats #Nielsen #MediaIntelligence #CollegeFootball #SportsMedia

BIG news from the world of streaming ratings: Nielsen is speeding up how quickly it reports SVOD ratings, and has also added in new daily reporting of data. The month-long lag for streaming Nielsen numbers is a thing of the past. I've got details in my exclusive report for Vulture. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/g_aHaH3U