Amazon Prime Video and Nielsen have released differing ratings numbers each week of the NFL season for Thursday Night Football, with somewhat wildly differing figures.
For instance, during last weeks broadcast between the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals, Nielsen claims 7.8 million people watched the game. Amazon Prime Video, however, says 8.9 million watched.
In a report for the Associated Press, David Bauder notes “neither company is saying the other is wrong, but neither is backing down, either”.
Amazon Prime Video claims it doesn’t have an estimate for the viewing totals, it has an actual literal count of users who stream the broadcast. Nielsen, meanwhile, estimates how many viewers a given broadcast features.
Through the first six broadcasts, Amazon Prime Video says Thursday Night Football has been watched by an average of 12.1 million viewers. Nielsen counters by saying the average is 10.3 million. Amazon Prime Video Vice President Jay Marine said the streaming platform feels confident their numbers are correct.
“We wouldn’t put out our number if we weren’t comfortable that it was accurate,” he told the AP.
“I don’t at all believe that Amazon’s numbers are not right,” said Nielsen spokeswoman Connie Kim. “And I don’t believe that our numbers are not right. It’s going to take a little time. As it evolves it should be one number. But we’re not quite there yet.”
Marine countered by saying it’s new territory for Nielsen, saying “it’s the first time there’s been actual data for an event like this”.
The response from Amazon Prime Video over Nielsen’s numbers comes after ratings for Thursday Night Football have seen a new season low for viewership over each of the past three weeks.
Is Amazon counting twitch streams. That is how I have watched since I will not pay for Prime. I watch the free Twitch feed or listen on Westwoodone