A major shift is coming to how television audiences are measured in the United States, as Nielsen begins phasing out its traditional panel-based ratings system in favor of a new “Big Data + Panel” methodology — a move that is already impacting pro wrestling viewership figures.
For decades, TV ratings were based solely on a representative sample of “Nielsen households,” which tracked viewership habits and were extrapolated to estimate total audiences. Under the new system, that limited panel data will now be combined with vast device-level data from set-top boxes and smart TVs. The Media Rating Council has officially accredited this updated methodology, which Nielsen says will provide more accurate and comprehensive audience measurements.
The transition away from the panel-only system will be completed by the end of 2025, which means historical comparisons to ratings from previous years will become more complicated. Beginning immediately, most weekly ratings reports — including those for pro wrestling — will use the Big Data + Panel figures rather than the legacy numbers.
The shift has already led to noticeably lower reported viewership for wrestling programs. According to Wrestlenomics, this week’s episode of WWE NXT on The CW averaged 572,000 viewers, a 19% drop from last week and the show’s lowest audience since August 2024. In the key 18–49 demographic, NXT scored a 0.10 rating, down a massive 41% from the previous week and tied for its second-lowest ever. Under the old panel-only system, the same episode would have registered a 0.16 in the demo, highlighting how significantly the new measurement approach alters the reported numbers.
While the change is designed to modernize audience measurement and reflect viewing habits more accurately, it could also reshape how networks and advertisers evaluate wrestling’s performance going forward. As the industry adapts, year-over-year comparisons and historical benchmarks will need to be viewed with caution.
The chart below from Wrestlenomics illustrates the impact of Nielsen’s methodology shift:
