A study on Audience Ratings

1. Methodology for audience
rating in Television
Rohitha Sankar
BA Journalism

2. Introduction
 Doodarshan, the government-owned channel was the only medium if
entertainment
 This monopoly of Doordarshan was broken in 1992
 Private channels - CNN, Star Plus and Zee TV
 Private channels offered only entertainment programmes - family drama,
comedy serials, children programmes, musical concerts, non-fiction
programmes etc
 Television has significantly altered our lifestyle in several ways in the span of
few decades

3. Current Scenario
 Television in India has been in existence since last four decades
 17 years – it was transmitted through black and white
 The Indian television industry is now bubbling - a huge industry by itself
 Indian television Industry has grown – 17.4% (2004-08)
 Stands at Rs.245 billion as on 2008 having grown from Rs. 224 billion in
2007
 The growth in the distribution industry over the period 2004-08 has
contributed by a 12.4% increase in the subscription (pay) TV homes in the
last 4 years.

4. Ratings in Electronic Media
 Rating system in electronic media
are audience measurement
systems
 Various methodologies - people
meters, diaries, set meters etc to
find out the popularity of a
program or channel
 Old methods – telephone survey

5. Rating system evolve?
1. Crossley Ratings: Developed by Archibald Crossley in 1930. Audience
measurement system created to determine the size of radio broadcasts
between 1930 and 1935
2. Hooper Ratings: C.E. Hooper Company was an American company that
was founded in 1935. It measured the radio ratings during the Golden Age
of radio. They provided information on the most popular radio shows of the
era. Starting in 1948, he began venturing into television. In February
1950, though competitor A.C.Nielson bought the company
3. Nielsen Ratings: Founded by Arthur Nielsen, who was a market analyst.
It culminated in Nielsen ratings of radio programming, which was meant
to provide statistics as to the market of radio shows. An effort to determine
the audience size and composition of television programming in the US
Contd

6.  Nielsen moved to television,
developing rating system
using the methods he and
his company had developed
for radio. He gathered
ratings in the following ways:
1. Viewers Diaries
2. Set Meters
3. People Meters
4. Passive People Meter

7. Rating System in Television
Television Rating Points:
 It indicates the popularity of a program or a television channel.
 Television ratings provide information about the viewers TV watching
habits and the socio-economic background of the audience
 Helps advertisers and corporate media planners in selecting the right
media at the right time
 TRP is determined with the help of a device which is installed in the
houses
 The device records which serial is being watched at what time and passes
on the information to the concerned department and then by observing the
maximum watched show or the minimum watched show, the TRP is
calculated
 Calculation is done with a device called as ‘People’s meter that is attached
to the TV set in a few thousand houses for judging purpose. It records the
time and the programme that a viewer watches on a particular day, after
which the average is taken for a 30 day period and the viewership of that
particular channel, is determined.

8. TAM Media Research & INTAM
TAM
 A joint venture company between AC Nielsen & Kantar Media Research
 TAM Media Research is the TV Viewership analysis firm of India
 Measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure
through its division AdEx India
INTAM
 Indian Television Audience Measurement is the only electronic rating agency
functioning in India
 It follows two methodologies - First is frequency monitoring, in which 'people
meters' are installed in sample homes and these electronic gadgets
continuously record data about the channel watched by the family members.
 Second technique is picture matching technique people meter continuously
records a small portion of the picture that is being watched on that
particular television set

9. People meter & aMap
People meter
 People Meter is a 'box', about the size of a paperback book
 Box is hooked up to each television set and is accompanied by a remote
control unit
 A personal 'viewing button‘
 If the TV is turned on and the viewer doesn't identify themselves, the meter
flashes to remind them
 Today new systems such as the portable people meter and 'Picture Matching'
that measures the viewing habits of TV audiences
aMap
 Audience Measurement & Analytics Limited
 The only overnight TV Audience Measurement System that provides data on
Television in India on multiple dimensions like demographics, ownership,
viewership etc
 aMap collects viewership data using Telecontrol VIII data collection units
sourced from Telecontrol AG, and wireless connections using GSM modems
Contd

10.  The measurement system of aMap is rigorous and comprehensive enough to
handle a complex multi-layered Indian audience
 aMap today, in India, has established itself as Asia’s largest and only
overnight television audience measurement system with latest technology
 aMap delivers data overnight so that yesterday’s data can be accessed today
by the subscribers.

11. Snapshot of TV viewings as on
09th Dec 2009

12. Reach of Hindi News across India

13. FEATURE OF THE DAY: English News Genre

14. Conclusion
 Given that TRPs influence the quality of TV programmes
 The government is considering forming policy guidelines for rating agencies
 TRPs have a direct impact on the scope and schedules of the content of
channels, therefore, the perspective of public interest cannot be ignored