A Silent Crisis Is Wreaking Havoc on TV Ratings

A new report from broadcast trade association TVB reveals that 38% of audiences watch TV with the sound off, a trend that challenges the accuracy of audio-based measurement systems and suggests a massive portion of the audience is being miscounted.

• Can you hear me now: This silent viewing habit throws a wrench in the gears of measurement systems that rely on audio detection to determine viewership. The survey of over 5,000 adults notes these viewers "could be undercounted," creating a measurement gap that could disproportionately skew viewership data for younger, Hispanic, and Black/African American audiences, where the habit is most common.

• The hardware exodus: Fueling the measurement crisis is how fragmented content delivery has become. While 77% of households still have a linear TV connection, 67% also use streaming services. The report finds the move away from hardware is accelerating, with more than half of wired cable customers and nearly three-quarters of satellite subscribers likely to switch to an app within six months.

• The takeaway: The trend highlights that television isn’t disappearing; it’s going everywhere. The average U.S. household now contains nearly three screens, turning the task of counting every viewer into a statistical nightmare.

This isn't the first time the industry has been warned; a similar 2024 study had already put the sound-off viewing problem on Nielsen's radar. The measurement mess comes as another TVB report on holiday spending argues that TV advertising is imperative, underscoring the high financial stakes involved in getting viewership numbers right.