How do the people monitoring television viewing figures know that the numbers they release are accurate? They often total in their millions, but nobody has ever asked me which shows I have watched.
鈥� My wife and I are members of the large panel of viewers on which UK viewing figures for television are based. The panel comprises members of the public selected to be representative of the population. This reflects the geographical distribution, household size, gender, age and so on in the population as a whole.
All participating households have a box next to each TV which records which station is being watched. We have a special remote control which we use to log in individually whenever we watch. This remote also has facilities to record guests who may be present together with their approximate age, a 鈥渘o viewers鈥� button and an 鈥渙n holiday鈥� button.
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The log of our data is sent automatically to the monitoring organisation in the early hours of each morning. We notify them of any changes, such as a new or extra television, and periodically we receive a phone call to confirm that all is working correctly. We do not get paid but are offered points that can be exchanged for vouchers for goods. We receive the same points each month 鈥� we do not get more for watching more TV.
Martin Trevelyan-Jones, Conwy, Clwyd, UK
鈥� Viewing figures are collated using a variety of methods depending on the country; in the UK, the most-quoted figures are from the Broadcasters鈥� Audience Research Board. Generally, they are calculated by surveying a representative sample of households and then extrapolating the results to represent the whole country.
There are other methods used by individual broadcasters. For example, cable and satellite broadcasters can monitor which of their channels are being viewed and create aggregate figures for viewers. Programme makers, advertisers and broadcasters also use methods such as street and online surveys to gain information on viewing habits.
Some researchers are testing new systems using cameras that recognise when individuals are in a room and detect how often they look at the screen. In this way they can assess how much attention is being paid to various programmes or adverts.
鈥淩esearchers are testing cameras that can detect when individuals are looking at the TV screen鈥�
John Thompson, London, UK