Super Bowl Ratings Looking Like 2020 Election

It appears that Nielsen does not want to report the obvious. The NFL remains in the toilet from a public0 opinion perspective.

Sure, Tampa Bay and KC fans watched the show. But what about the rest of America, dare I say the world? In an age of almost instant knowledge due to digital formats, we don’t know the ratings of Super Bowl 55.

Deadline reported,

Nielsen still doesn’t have any Super Bowl LV ratings to report today. Yet, they do now have something to say about the unprecedented delay – though it ain’t much.

“Super Bowl numbers are still being processed and verified,” a spokesperson for the blushing company finally said today. “We anticipate that final viewing figures, which will include Out Of Home (OOH) viewing, will be available to the media tomorrow. We will update the press and the industry accordingly when a final timeline is confirmed.”

Which sounds like more of we’ll let you know when we let you know, but we’re not telling you why.

(…)

As America waits and waits on the viewership verdict, it appears at this late hour that there will be no ratings for the Big Game any time soon for the first time ever.

Literally becoming the new definition of the phrase “You had one job,” the long-time data measurement company has nothing to report on the Buccaneers 31-9 win over former reigning NFL champs the Kansas City Chiefs on CBS yesterday. Fast affiliate ratings may be available early in the AM tomorrow, I hear. However, as a well-positioned network source said, “that’s anyone’s guess at this point, isn’t it?”

The company that is in the business of reporting metrics has nothing to report. Who does Nielsen think it is? DOMINION?!

Ironically, there seems to have been an issue with the data.

The problem seems to be incorrect metrics that have caused Nielsen to “re-process” their data. A spread sheet of ratings information did go out earlier Monday, but was quickly recalled. Throughout the day, networks were told that numbers would be coming soon, only to be told that the release time had been pushed back again.

“It looks pretty certain there will be nothing tonight now,” said another network exec to Deadline on the delay. Usually unadjusted early numbers for overnight ratings are distributed to network clients around 8 AM PST. Around that time today, Nielsen made it known that nothing was coming down the pipe until at least 11:30 AM PST.

I’m guessing Roger Goddell is asking Nielsen to plug in that thumb drive and call the Chinese hackers. Because he needs to show that all the social justice bullsh*t works in the meritocracy of the NFL.

According to Deadline, this type of thing has never happened before, outside of weather-related issues. It would be like Joe Biden getting say 12 million more votes in an election than 2008 Barack Obama. A statistical impossibility!

Understanding that the Super Bowl is generally watched by over 100 million viewers. The spectacle has been the biggest TV draw for decades, at least until recently. Further, from the advertisers’ perspective, the Super Bowl delivers that much covered 18-49 demographic.

So why the 4:30a shutdown to regroup? Simple. Money.

The article suggests,

Like the Oscars and the Emmys, the ratings for the big game are some of the most important pieces of info for the networks, who rotate in their coverage of the Super Bowl, and setting ad rates. Data that takes on perhaps more significance this year coming off a NFL season full of coronavirus safety protocols, altered schedules due to positive tests and an 10% decline in the ratings on average. There is also the rise of the availability of the championship game on streaming, which is slowly but surely drawing more and more fans away from the traditional network viewing experience, pandemic or not.

Which is another way of saying, the ratings for the Super Bowl are a really big deal.

And all the more reason to cheat. Of course, liberals will say this is no big deal. But cheating is no stranger to the NFL or the Super Bowl.

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