Disney Programs Get Good News and Bad News
We’ve had a bit of a scandal unfolding with Nielsen ratings.
I’m not exclusively talking about streaming ratings, either. No, it’s all of them.
Nielsen screwed up quite badly, and their mistake has caused ripple effects for Disney.
Basically, Disney programs got good and bad news this week. Let’s discuss an odd story.
Nielsen’s Oopsie
Deadline
Those of you who read my weekly Nielsen Streaming Ratings know the deal by now.
Let’s just say that I don’t think Nielsen does a great job with its data tracking.
Wall Street Journal
For starters, Nielsen waits a month before posting the data, which is maddening.
A competing service, Luminate, publishes similar tracking as soon as it’s available.
Photographer: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
So, Nielsen has no good reason to wait a month other than the obvious one.
The ratings tracker sells its services to the very companies whose data it tracks. When Nielsen provides bad news to Disney, Fox, or The CW, they’re angering customers.
For this reason, Nielsen is a bit *ahem* malleable when it comes to the rules.
Nielsen
Honestly, this has been the case for many decades now, but it just came up again.
We won’t be evaluating the numbers on Nielsen’s The Gauge this month because there’s not one.
Nielsen delayed its publication after broadcasters complained about their performances.
The legacy media companies responsible for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW aren’t happy.
Photo: Getty Images/Ringer illustration
They feel that Nielsen has overcorrected with its listing of streaming ratings.
In their collective opinion, broadcast television is still gaining more viewers than streaming.
Disney+
For its part, Nielsen had indicated that streaming has long since passed broadcast viewership.
I’ve referenced this fact several times, as it’s vital to Disney’s digital ambitions. Now, Nielsen has backtracked on this statement, and it’s…not made anybody happy.
Here’s the trade group that sells broadcast advertising complaining about the move.
You Take the Good, You Take the Bad
Image: The Wall Street Journal
As for Disney, well, there’s good news and bad news, but it’s mostly a positive turn of events.
Nielsen is suggesting that it has over-indexed streaming viewership, which…it probably hasn’t.
Photo:cnet.com
However, Nielsen’s customers want the company to say that, so here we are.
For any of this to make sense, you must understand how broadcast revenue works.
Photo: skillastics.com
The networks sell advertising based on the popularity of their programming.
A more popular series garners more advertising revenue since more people are watching.
Photo: Washington Post
When fewer people watch, as Nielsen has suggested is happening, networks make less money.
You can imagine how well that system has worked for the networks during the 2020s. The abandonment of broadcast television has triggered a precipitous decline in revenue.
Whenever I evaluate Disney’s Linear Networks earning less money, this explains why.
Historically, Disney’s lineup of ABC and ESPN programming netted the company a fortune.
Nowadays, Disney pays more for sports licensing rights and other forms of content creation.
Photo: Michael Vargo on LinkedIn
Simultaneously, the ratings have eroded every quarter, which has led to these complaints.
Since the broadcasters pay for the Nielsen service, they feel they should have more say with the calculations.
Hollywood Reporter PHOTOGRAPHED BY DIANA KING
What we’re witnessing here is Nielsen bending to those demands, no matter the ramifications.
For Disney, that means lower streaming numbers, a trend we’ve already been tracking.
(Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
Dana Walden would probably argue that Disney is getting dinged both ways on Nielsen ratings.
Disney’s streaming services have added more subscribers, yet the numbers have declined.
Photo: Disney Careers
Similarly, ABC wishes it had its Nielsen ratings from a decade ago, but we don’t live in the world now.
Nielsen’s most recent move will stabilize Disney’s Linear Networks revenue in the short term. So, this is generally good news. Alas, the company’s streaming ratings remain in decline.
Let’s Talk About Those Ratings
Image Credit: NCAA
As proof, here are Nielsen’s streaming ratings for the past two weeks.
We’re doubling up this time because I was on vacation last week to watch some NCAA basketball.
The first ratings cover the week of February 16th-22nd, 2026. Here are Disney’s streaming hits:
- Bluey – 856 million viewer minutes
- Grey’s Anatomy – 695 million viewer minutes
- Law & Order – 650 million viewer minutes
- Family Guy – 597 million viewer minutes
- Veronica Mars – 491 million viewer minutes
- Predator: Badlands – 343 million viewer minutes
Yeah, that’s a pretty small list of hits. Predator: Badlands continues to be a solid performer, though.
Also, Veronica Mars is showing staying power, but let’s be real. This is because of Netflix, not Hulu.
Photo: ROBERT VOETS / WARNER BROS. TELEVISION / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
Now, let’s take a look at the ratings for the week of February 23rd through March 1st.
- Paradise – 950 million viewer minutes
- Bluey – 866 million viewer minutes
- Grey’s Anatomy – 841 million viewer minutes
- Law & Order – 610 million viewer minutes
- Family Guy – 585 million viewer minutes
- Veronica Mars – 540 million viewer minutes
- The Rookie – 531 million viewer minutes
Fox
Okay, we finally have some terrific news for Disney. Paradise is a blockbuster.
Hulu shows rarely approach one billion viewer minutes, although this one comes with a caveat.
Photo: Hulu
Paradise debuted three new episodes on February 23rd, which inflates its ratings a bit.
Still, this is an unqualified blockbuster, and due to the show’s suspenseful nature, it should maintain.
Photo: Hulu
Otherwise, Disney’s streaming numbers are way down from six months ago.
How much of that stems from Nielsen overcorrecting to assuage its broadcast television masters?
Disney+
That’s hard to say, but it’s something we’ll continue to track over the next few months.
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Photo: The New York Post
