Olympics skewed Nielsen sweeps results in February
Buffalo News
Last updated: April 26, 2026
The quarterly report on media consumption in Western New York for February was significantly influenced by the Winter Olympics. NBC's extensive coverage of the event, broadcast on WGRZ-TV (Channel 2), spanned two of the four weeks included in the reporting period.
- The primary factor skewing the February "What Western New York is Watching" report was the substantial presence of NBC's Winter Olympics broadcasts. These events were aired on WGRZ-TV, the local NBC affiliate in the region.
- The Olympic coverage occupied a considerable portion of the viewing landscape, specifically accounting for two out of the four weeks analyzed in the quarterly report. This prolonged and prominent broadcast schedule naturally impacted viewership data.
- Consequently, the reported viewing habits for February are not representative of typical media consumption patterns in Western New York. The Olympics acted as a temporary but powerful driver of audience attention, diverting it from regular programming.
- The report's accuracy for this specific period is therefore compromised due to this exceptional event-driven viewership. Future reports are expected to reflect more standard viewing trends once the Olympic broadcasts have concluded.
