TV Viewing Figures

**Crilly** · 16th May 2006

The BBC website states that during the penalty shoot-out in the FA Cup final on Saturday the viewing figures were 11.3 million.

How do they work this figure out ?

**maverick_15** · 16th May 2006

take a sample of the population across the viewing spectrum and then multiply up

edit: that was simplistic, for more info http://www.barb.co.uk/about.cfm?flag=about

**TwoPlAnKs** · 16th May 2006

recently all the figures suddenly changed because the sample they used was adjusted slightly, to fit the population better etc.

**marcode** · 16th May 2006

that like the Nielsen ratings in the US?

load of shite if u ask me... total guesswork.

**maverick_15** · 16th May 2006

its supposition but its better than nothing provided the sample population is accurate

**marcode** · 16th May 2006

which it rarely is.. who registers to be a barb family unless you watch far too much fuckin telly lol

**WalterPill** · 16th May 2006

I work for BARB. I do the initial screenings of properties and household demographics etc. The info I collect is ages, sex, race, how many TVs, picture quality across the channels, what channels they receive (Sky/Cable/Freeview/Terrestrial), how many hours per day a family will watch the television on average.

Household types according to those details are then categorized and X amount are chosen as to be representative of the UK in general and/or region by region. That's where my involvement ends. Thereafter a family is contacted by BARB and are asked whether they'd like to take part. My understanding is that they are incentified to do so and that is possibly that they get their TV License paid for a year. They're then given a remote control to go alongside their own and every time the television is watched the relevant channel is inputted into the other remote as well. Also when somebody else enters the room the relevant amount of people inside the room watching any given programme is inputted as well.

All the data is collected and run through the necessary formula as to provide the aggregate viewing figures. I'm sure they get it all wrong, I can't believe over 10 million people still watch Eastenders.