Nielsen Media recently announced that they will be changing the way they measure ratings next year. The company will begin including out-of-home viewing including locations such as bars, airports and offices. This may affect WWE, UFC and Bellator ratings, as well as sports like NBA and NFL.
During a recent test of the new system, sports events seen in sports bars, will increase an average of 11% with the added viewership. Also, news programs (normally seen in offices or airports), would see an increase of around 7%.
The Super Bowl that aired this past February would increase from 101 million viewers to 113 million viewers with the new system.