• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, February 24, 2026

Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement factored into the revised estimate of Super Bowl LX, which landed at 125.6 million.

That is because data from a major contributor to the Big Data piece of puzzle was understated. Nielsen did not provide specific details.

But while this added around 700,000 viewers to the early released estimate of 124.9 million, it did not do something that many analysts anticipated -- a new viewing record for the big game.

Currently, the official Nielsen record was reached with last year's game, aired by Fox Television Network -- when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22. That viewer number is 127.7 million.

Early TV programming results of the current new TV season, starting in September 2025 -- with Nielsen's new deeper measurement factors for Big Data+ Panel in tow --  boosted many different kinds of TV/streaming programming improvement. 

Nielsen Big Data+Panel includes data from 45 million smart TV ACR (automatic content recognition) homes and 75 million devices, as well as set-top-box data from providers like Comcast, Dish, DirecTV, and Charter.

All this is combined with its longtime 40,000 plus “panel” sample.

In a previous Super Bowl game in 2015 between the same two teams, the New England Patriots dramatically won the game in the last seconds with an interception at the moment the Seattle Seahawks looked to score the winning touchdown.

So perhaps expectations were high for the big game. That game’s story line --- nor the 2026 game’s early close score between the teams -- could have been major factors. The 2026 version of the contest was close in the first two quarters, with the last half of the game having  Seahawks pulling away in a 29-13 win.

Still, the Super Bowl is a different animal -- not just a regular sporting event.

It is just a big party day for many U.S. households, somewhat irrespective of the competitive nature of the game. This also includes a highly viewed and valuable halftime show. 

But increasingly, the TV/streaming world focused on a more in-depth measure -- the specific retail/business outcome performance and “attentiveness." The latter is also known as “eyes on the screen.” Many different providers have new technical processes to do just this.

All these are increasingly important to advertisers -- especially in a high-profile TV show that can command anywhere from $8 million to $10 million for a 30-second message. 

In the future, one wonders whether there may be even more insightful performance data, which advertisers will command for the U.S.’s biggest single TV program of the year.