- Multi-year deal utilizes Nielsen’s full suite of local audience marketing intelligence solutions, including Big Data + Panel, Scarborough, NLTV and streaming measurement.
- Nielsen is uniquely positioned to deliver these insights for Gray Media’s leading portfolio of sports, streaming and multicultural media properties.
January 22, 2026 – Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and marketing intelligence, today announced that it has renewed a new, multi-year deal with Gray Media.
Nielsen will provide local television measurement across Gray Media’s entire U.S. footprint in the 113 U.S. designated market areas (DMAs) where they own and operate local TV stations.
The deal is noteworthy and timely for several reasons: Gray Media is one of the nation’s largest owners of top-rated, local TV stations and digital assets that reach approximately 37% of the U.S. TV audience across its footprint. Gray Media also notably owns 13 broadcast sports networks and 44 Telemundo affiliates.
Nielsen is well suited to drive growth and innovation across Gray Media’s leading portfolio of sports, streaming and multicultural audiences. To date, Nielsen is the only company that can reliably measure live sports on streaming and the company also has deals with every major sports league. In a typical month, Nielsen measures more than one trillion minutes of viewing across all streaming apps. On the multicultural front, the company’s persons panel consists of more than 42,000 homes and 100,000 people across the U.S., by far the largest of its kind domestically.
Said Gray Media President and Co-CEO Pat LaPlatney: “We are happy to renew our relationship with Nielsen for our linear and OTT program streams. As our viewership evolves, it is important that our measurement partners continue to innovate as well.”
Said Paul LeFort, Managing Director of Nielsen’s Local TV Client Services: “Only Nielsen has the scale, technology and industry trust of both media buyers and sellers to power Gray Media’s growth strategies across their local TV and multicultural stations and broadcast sports networks. This collaboration will drive growth, positive business outcomes and the next era of innovation at the local TV level. We are very excited to be working with Gray Media as they continue to spearhead new ideas and a leadership first position in the industry.”
Per this agreement, Nielsen will utilize its local TV audience measurement solutions to deliver holistic marketing intelligence insights for Gray Media across all of its 113 DMAs. This includes comprehensive measurement of Gray Media’s local TV, broadcast sports channels and streaming properties. Gray Media will also tap into Nielsen’s Ad Intel competitive ad spending insights (in select markets) and its Scarborough consumer insights.
About Nielsen
Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences – now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).
Media Contact:
Elaine Wong
Nielsen Communications
elaine.wong@nielsen.com
