The 2026 NFL Draft may have packed the streets with more attendees, but the TV ratings told a different story. Across all networks, the three-day event averaged 6.6 million viewers. That’s a pretty steep 12% drop from last year’s 7.5 million average. But according to Nielsen, these numbers are about to change for the better.

Recently, Nielsen tested a new audience measurement system using wearable devices that looked like regular smartwatches. These devices weren’t tracking steps or heart rates, though. Instead, they focused on audio from the live TV broadcasts. It means people can passively stay involved with the broadcasts without having to log in or actively register their viewing habits. However, it was only a pilot program.

On May 5, 2026, Nielsen announced the results of this co-viewing pilot program for February’s top live TV broadcasts. According to their data, 4.19% more viewers tuned in for marquee live events. This data was collectively taken for Super Bowl LX, the Daytona 500, a few Olympic events, the NBA All-Star Game, and the State of the Union Address. But the exact number for the individual sports is still a secret. 

For now, the company plans to roll out this co-viewing technology through its media intelligence products. Their goal is to include it in the official ratings system for the 2026-27 TV season. But we can’t really count the current pilot data toward the official ratings. Why? It’s because that data won’t be included in the official Big Data + Panel ratings. Yet, the dream remains big. 

“Our Co-Viewing pilot exemplifies our unwavering commitment to providing the most accurate measurement for our clients during these dynamic times of change,” Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, emphasized the importance of the technology. “In the past year alone, we’ve made continued enhancements to our ratings to better reflect the power of live TV in reaching massive audiences.” 

The technology is certainly a lifesaver for the NFL. Of course, the in-person attendance at the 2026 NFL Draft was impressive. About 805,000 people turned out to watch the event, and it shattered the previous attendance record set by Detroit in 2024, with 775,000 attendees. But the league couldn’t manage a similar feat through a TV broadcast.

This year, the first round draft ratings went down by 3%, marking a fall of about 400,000 viewers. And the worst part of the story is that the first round of the draft was pretty fast-paced this year.

Part of the challenge is that fans are simply watching differently now, and Roger Goodell has already acknowledged that.

Roger Goodell gets honest about the changing media landscape for the NFL

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that streaming platforms are becoming a bigger part of the league’s future, even if traditional television still dominates overall viewership. For the 2026 NFL Draft, the standard TV broadcast went to ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network. However, the league also aggressively utilized streaming platforms, simulcasting the event on the ESPN App, NFL+, Disney+, and Hulu. But the NFL remained true to the traditional coverage. 

“Well, I don’t agree with that because 88 percent of our games, roughly, are on broadcast television,” Goodell explained regarding the shift to streaming. “The other 12 percent are on platforms that are incredibly widely distributed, and people are already there. Netflix is not a small distribution. In fact, you can make an argument that it’s bigger than some of the networks.” 

In the end, Nielsen’s new technology could help the NFL paint a much clearer picture of how many people are actually tuning in. As viewing habits continue to evolve across traditional TV and streaming, accurately measuring audiences may become just as important as attracting them in the first place.