Paramount and Nielsen End 4-Month Dispute, Ink New Deal for Ratings Measurement of CBS, Paramount+

Paramount Global and Nielsen have inked a new, multi-year deal that ends the months-long dispute that saw CBS and Paramount+ reporting viewership of their programming courtesy of <checks notes> “VideoAmp Overnight Data.”

The new deal includes audience measurement for all Paramount platforms including CBS, cable networks, and streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

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The announcement was made by Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao and Paramount Global co-CEO/CBS President and CEO George Cheeks, and accompanied by a bit of “catch-up” reporting of CBS and Paramount+’s big wins, by NIelsen:

▶ CBS’ broadcast of the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 26 averaged 57.7 million viewers, setting the all-time record for the AFC and the largest overall NFL conference championship in 15 years.
▶ CBS coverage of the 2024 NFL regular season included three of the top five games in October; the most-watched game (27.5 million viewers) in November; and two of the top five in December.
▶ Returning for Season 2, Tracker was the most-watched drama program in October (averaging 11.3 million viewers), November (11.6 million) and December (10.8 million).
▶ The freshman hit Matlock came in a close second to Tracker in all three months, and was joined by FBIElsbethNCIS, and Blue Bloods‘ final season in the Top 10 every month this past fall.
Landman gave Paramount+ its first billion-minute (in a week) performer on Nielsen’s weekly streaming ranking.
Landman, Lioness and Tulsa King appeared in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 simultaneously in multiple weeks this fall, a first for the platform.

“Paramount Global’s ratings wins reported today are just one of many successes we look forward to with Nielsen as we build upon this new future together,” Paramount Global’s Cheeks said in a statement.

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