TV Ratings Don’t Tell the Whole Story Anymore — And Advertisers Know It

TV viewership for major sports is down, but the dollars haven’t followed. That’s because advertisers are chasing outcomes, not just eyeballs — and they’ve found better ways to measure value.

The Games Are Still Good — So Why the Gloom?

If you only looked at social media and some sports columns, you’d think this year’s NBA Finals were a flop.

A seven-game thriller, capped by a tight Oklahoma City Thunder win over the Indiana Pacers, should’ve had everyone buzzing about the sport itself. Instead, much of the conversation revolved around TV ratings — again. Even with the final game pulling in the best numbers since 2019, critics pounced on “small market” concerns and cable drop-offs like vultures circling.

Same story for the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals. Great product. Tired discourse.

And the funny part? The folks spending billions on sports ads — the ones who actually keep these broadcasts alive — don’t care as much about those old Nielsen numbers as you’d think.

What Really Matters To Sports Advertisers These Days

Back in the day, it was simple: the more people watched, the more you could charge for a commercial. Bigger ratings meant more exposure. That thinking has changed — a lot.

Advertisers in 2025 want something more precise: results. Not just reach, but relevance.

A burger commercial seen by 5 million people is fine. A burger commercial seen by 3 million people — half of whom actually eat fast food three times a week — is gold. That’s where modern data-driven platforms like Amazon Prime Video or Peacock come in.

They can target viewers so tightly that a single impression is worth more than five random ones on traditional TV. It’s about efficiency now. Precision.

Who’s Watching What — And Why It Pays Off

Here’s the part that would’ve sounded like science fiction five years ago: the NBA Playoffs this year reached 44.9% of U.S. quick-serve restaurant (QSR) customers, according to iSpot.

That’s wild. Think about that. No other TV program even cracked 31%.

Let’s break that down:

• NBA Playoffs reached 44.9% of QSR diners

• Also hit 28.7% of in-market car buyers

• Top-ranked across both consumer segments

That’s not just good targeting — that’s advertisers hitting exactly who they need. QSR brands know people watching the game are hungry, maybe even ordering food while they watch. Car companies know they’re catching eyeballs from potential buyers. So even if the total audience looks smaller, the useful audience is bigger than ever.

Streaming Doesn’t Just Change Where We Watch — It Changes Everything

Streaming is making old-school metrics almost irrelevant.

Let’s be real: most streaming platforms aren’t telling the whole truth about their numbers. Netflix shares weekly rankings but hides deeper data. Amazon keeps stats under wraps unless it’s great PR. Apple rarely says anything unless Messi’s playing.

And yet, advertisers keep buying. Why?

Because they can target you by what you watch, where you live, what you eat, when you sleep — all of it. That level of precision? Traditional ratings can’t touch it.

There’s also this little wrinkle: if a sports broadcast can still reach 10 million people in 2025, that’s a huge deal. We’re in an era where people scroll TikTok during dinner and binge entire shows in one night. So when live sports cuts through the noise, it’s worth more — not less.

Why This Fall May Be The Breaking Point for TV Ratings Obsession

Something big is brewing this autumn. Actually, several big things:

1. One-third of the NBA’s national games will air on Amazon Prime Video

2. Netflix will stream another NFL game

3. ESPN’s standalone streaming app launches

That’s a lot of major sports moving off traditional TV and into data-driven ecosystems. And you can bet those platforms aren’t going to hand over viewership data as freely as ABC or TNT might have in the past.

Which means… TV ratings won’t just be incomplete — they’ll be nearly useless. They’ll miss too many people, too many platforms, too much nuance.

And honestly, that’s probably fine.

Advertisers have already adapted. They’re not waiting for Nielsen to catch up. They’re tracking purchases, foot traffic, app downloads, and website visits. They’re measuring impact, not just impressions.

TV Ratings vs. Audience Impact — Here’s How the Numbers Stack Up

To drive it home, check out the comparison below. It shows just how different “reach” can be when measured through traditional ratings versus behavioral data:

That paints a clearer picture than any outdated Nielsen chart ever could.

It’s Not the End — It’s Just a New Playbook

There’s still value in TV ratings. They’re a snapshot. A starting point.

But they’re not the whole story anymore. Not even close.

Sports leagues and media companies know it. So do advertisers. And frankly, fans are moving on, too. They just want to watch the game — whether it’s on cable, Prime, or some app nobody’s even heard of yet.

One sentence at a time, the industry is rewriting its playbook. And the scoreboard isn’t just counting viewers anymore.