Cable Forum - View Single Post

**Hugh** · 08-10-2006, 13:32

Since you asked -
http://www.barb.co.uk/about.cfm?flag=about
The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) is responsible for providing estimates of the number of people watching television. This includes which channels and programmes are being watched, at what time, and the type of people who are watching at any one time. BARB provides television audience data on a minute-by-minute basis for channels received within the UK. The data is available for reporting nationally and at ITV and BBC regional level and covers all analogue and digital platforms.

Viewing estimates are obtained from panels of television owning households representing the viewing behaviour of the 24+ million households within the UK. The panels are selected to be representative of each ITV and BBC region. The service covers viewing within private households only.

Panel homes are selected via a 'multi-stage, stratified and unclustered' sample design. What this means is that the panel is fully representative of all television households across the whole of the UK. A range of individual and household characteristics (panel controls) are needed to ensure that the panel is fully representative. As estimates for the large majority of panel controls are not available from Census data it is necessary to conduct an Establishment Survey to obtain this information.

The BARB Establishment Survey is carried out on a continuous basis and involves some 52,000 interviews per year. It is a random probability survey which means that any household within the UK has an equal likelihood of being selected for interview. The survey ensures that any changes taking place in the population can be identified so that the panel can be updated and adjusted to ensure that the panel continues to reflect the television-owning population. In addition to being the prime source of television population information, such as the number of multi-channel homes, the Establishment Survey also generates the potential recruits from which panel member homes are selected.

Once a panel member agrees to join the panel, their home will then have all their television sets, video cassette recorders etc. electronically monitored by a meter. This is a small black box about the size of the average hardback book, which is put on top of the television set and connected to it. This automatically identifies and collects information about the programme and channel that the panel member is viewing.

All panel household residents and their guests register their presence when in a room with a television set on. Each individual does this by pressing the button allocated to them on the peoplemeter handset. The metering system monitors all registrations made by each individual.

The panel member does not need to do anything else for BARB to capture all the viewing in each household everyday. Throughout the day the meter system stores all viewing undertaken by the entire household. Each night between 2am and 6am the data processing centre automatically downloads the data from every panel home (a process known as 'polling'). This procedure is carried out on every panel home every day to produce live 'overnight' minute-by-minute television viewing data.

Video playback is measured if it takes place within 7 days of the original broadcast. This viewing (known as timeshift viewing) is then added to the live data to produce the final, minute-by-minute consolidated audience, available 8 days after the original transmission date.

Channels reported by BARB provide detailed timings of the programmes and commercials they broadcast. The records that this produces are then matched to the minute-by-minute viewing data to produce the BARB official audience estimates for programmes and commercials.

Three specialist research companies are contracted to provide BARB with the service: RSMB (responsible for panel design and quality control); Ipsos-RSL (responsible for the Establishment Survey); and AGB Nielsen Media Research (responsible for metering the panel, data collection and processing).

Hope this helps

08-10-2006, 13:32	#13
Hugh laeva recumbens anguis Cable Forum Mod Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 69 Services: Premiere Collection Posts: 45,162	Re: Television ratings thread Since you asked - http://www.barb.co.uk/about.cfm?flag=about The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) is responsible for providing estimates of the number of people watching television. This includes which channels and programmes are being watched, at what time, and the type of people who are watching at any one time. BARB provides television audience data on a minute-by-minute basis for channels received within the UK. The data is available for reporting nationally and at ITV and BBC regional level and covers all analogue and digital platforms. Viewing estimates are obtained from panels of television owning households representing the viewing behaviour of the 24+ million households within the UK. The panels are selected to be representative of each ITV and BBC region. The service covers viewing within private households only. Panel homes are selected via a 'multi-stage, stratified and unclustered' sample design. What this means is that the panel is fully representative of all television households across the whole of the UK. A range of individual and household characteristics (panel controls) are needed to ensure that the panel is fully representative. As estimates for the large majority of panel controls are not available from Census data it is necessary to conduct an Establishment Survey to obtain this information. The BARB Establishment Survey is carried out on a continuous basis and involves some 52,000 interviews per year. It is a random probability survey which means that any household within the UK has an equal likelihood of being selected for interview. The survey ensures that any changes taking place in the population can be identified so that the panel can be updated and adjusted to ensure that the panel continues to reflect the television-owning population. In addition to being the prime source of television population information, such as the number of multi-channel homes, the Establishment Survey also generates the potential recruits from which panel member homes are selected. Once a panel member agrees to join the panel, their home will then have all their television sets, video cassette recorders etc. electronically monitored by a meter. This is a small black box about the size of the average hardback book, which is put on top of the television set and connected to it. This automatically identifies and collects information about the programme and channel that the panel member is viewing. All panel household residents and their guests register their presence when in a room with a television set on. Each individual does this by pressing the button allocated to them on the peoplemeter handset. The metering system monitors all registrations made by each individual. The panel member does not need to do anything else for BARB to capture all the viewing in each household everyday. Throughout the day the meter system stores all viewing undertaken by the entire household. Each night between 2am and 6am the data processing centre automatically downloads the data from every panel home (a process known as 'polling'). This procedure is carried out on every panel home every day to produce live 'overnight' minute-by-minute television viewing data. Video playback is measured if it takes place within 7 days of the original broadcast. This viewing (known as timeshift viewing) is then added to the live data to produce the final, minute-by-minute consolidated audience, available 8 days after the original transmission date. Channels reported by BARB provide detailed timings of the programmes and commercials they broadcast. The records that this produces are then matched to the minute-by-minute viewing data to produce the BARB official audience estimates for programmes and commercials. Three specialist research companies are contracted to provide BARB with the service: RSMB (responsible for panel design and quality control); Ipsos-RSL (responsible for the Establishment Survey); and AGB Nielsen Media Research (responsible for metering the panel, data collection and processing). Hope this helps __________________ Thank you for calling the Abyss. If you have called to scream, please press 1 to be transferred to the Void, or press 2 to begin your stare. If my post is in bold and this colour, it's a Moderator Request.