[Petershaw1984]

From what I understand around 2000 people have a box and what ever channel they watch it's multiplied by x and that's how we get viewing figures.

What If no one watches bb that owns one of these boxes? Will they class it as no viewing figures even if 400,000 people watched it?

I don't get it. Explain please

[emmetmcl]

From what I've heard its around 5,000 - although as you say it is extremely likely out of 5000 people no one will watch BB. I've always wondered why they have such a small sample.

Maybe they have demographics so for example, there are a certain amount of people over 65 with a box, certain amount between 16-34, etc so it's likely someone will watch.

Basically, I don't know. LOL

[Petershaw1984]

I'm confused. Just like Andrew stone *allegedly

[BB IS ALIVE]

I think that 10 years ago it was a very reliable way of getting ratings But a wider range of people watch tv nowadays, also since 2007 the range of channels has exploded, the way we watch tv has changed, most of the people i know who watch big brother record it, or sky+ or whatever. so in 2012 I think that it 5000 people is not a big enough sample and in truth, way more than 3.5 million people watched that launch last week. But there's no proof because its extrapolated from such a ridiculously small sample.

[Me. I Am Salman]

Originally Posted by BB IS ALIVE

I think that 10 years ago it was a very reliable way of getting ratings But a wider range of people watch tv nowadays, also since 2007 the range of channels has exploded, the way we watch tv has changed, most of the people i know who watch big brother record it, or sky+ or whatever. so in 2012 I think that it 5000 people is not a big enough sample and in truth, way more than 3.5 million people watched that launch last week. But there's no proof because its extrapolated from such a ridiculously small sample.

this.

[Omah]

BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) is the primary provider of television audience measurement in the UK. It covers all channels broadcasting across all platforms - terrestrial, satellite and cable in both analogue and digital. BARB audience measurement data underpins the trading currency for broadcasters, advertisers and their agencies.

BARB is a non-profit making limited company, funded by the major players in the industry it supports - BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BSkyB and the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising). Other broadcasters and a variety of businesses, for example research specialists, publishers and advertisers also contribute to the cost of running BARB by subscribing to the service.

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 for terrestrial, satellite and cable reception for both analogue and digital platforms and at ITV and BBC regional level.

Viewing estimates are obtained from a panel of television owning households representing the viewing behaviour of the 26+ million households within the UK. The reporting panel of 5,100 homes is 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 un-clustered sample design so that the panel is representative of all television households across the whole of the UK. A range of individual and household characteristics are deployed as panel controls to ensure that the panel remains representative. As estimates for the large majority of panel controls are not available from Census data it is necessary to conduct a bespoke survey (the Establishment Survey) to obtain this information.

The BARB Establishment Survey is carried out on a continuous basis and involves some 53,000 interviews per year. It is a random probability survey which means that every private residential household within the UK has a chance 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 it 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 BARB Establishment Survey also generates the potential recruits from which panel member homes are selected.

When a household agrees to join the panel their television sets, PVRs, VCRs etc. are electronically monitored by a meter. Each TV in a home is connected to its own meter which holds an electronic record for the set. The meter is a small box which is put close to each television set and connected to it. The meter automatically identifies and collects information about the 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 a button allocated to them on the peoplemeter handset. The metering system monitors all registrations made by each individual for each television in the home.

The panel member does not need to do anything else for BARB to capture the viewing in their household everyday. Throughout the day the meter system stores viewing undertaken by the entire household. Each night between 2am and 6am the data processing centre automatically downloads the data from panel homes (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.

VCR, DVDR, PVR playback and "catch-up" VOD services is reported if it takes place within 7 days of the original broadcast. This viewing (known as timeshift) is then added to the live data to produce the final, minute-by-minute consolidated audience, available 8 days after the original transmission date. Consolidated data is the ‘BARB Gold Standard’ that is used by the industry to report and trade on.

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.

Specialist research companies are contracted to provide BARB with the service: RSMB (responsible for panel design and quality control); Ipsos MORI (responsible for the Establishment Survey); and Kantar Media (responsible for recruiting and metering the panel, data collection and processing).

BARB is responsible for providing estimates of the number of people watching television. This includes which channels and programmes are being watched, when they are watched and the type of people who are viewing at any one time. Viewing data is collected second-by-second and delivered on a minute-by-minute basis for channels received within the UK. The channel viewed the longest in a clock minute is attributed the viewing of that minute. Viewing at anything other than normal speed (fast forwarding/rewinding live or recorded content) is not reported. The data is available for reporting nationally and at ITV and BBC regional level.

Viewing estimates are obtained from a panel of television owning private homes representing the viewing behaviour of the 26 million TV households within the UK. The panel is selected to be representative of each ITV and BBC region, with pre-determined sample sizes. Each home represents, on average, about 5,000 of the UK population.

Panel homes are selected via a multistage, stratified and unclustered sample design so that the panel is representative of all television households across the UK. A range of individual and household characteristics (panel controls) are deployed to ensure that the panel is representative. The prime control is a 20 cell matrix, made up of means of TV reception, life stage (pre-family, young family, older family, post family and retired), and social grade. 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.

RSMB is responsible for producing the sample design, including maintaining the panel controls to ensure their relevance to the panel. RSMB also conducts continuous quality control checks on BARB’s behalf.

The BARB Establishment Survey has the purpose of measuring the characteristics of UK households (demographics, viewing equipment, etc), producing universes for panel control and weighting purposes and providing addresses from which to recruit the panel.

The survey is carried out on a continuous basis and involves some 53,000 interviews per annum. It is a random probability survey, which means that every private residential household within the UK has a chance of being selected for interview. Interviews are conducted face-to-face using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) and take, on average, 20 minutes to complete. 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 it continues to reflect the television owning population. In addition to being the prime source of television population information, the Establishment Survey also generates the supply of addresses from which the panel is recruited.

The BARB Establishment Survey is conducted by Ipsos MORI, which has responsibility for contacting each household selected for the survey and conducting interviews.
The BARB panel provides regional viewing from area definitions based on non-overlapping geographies. These are based around the ITV1 Sky digital satellite footprint received by EPG 103, the default ITV 1 regional delivery to Sky homes. Regional viewing is also available from 14 BBC regions.

A non-overlapping panel delivers an efficient sample design and UK geographical distribution. Regional panels have pre-determined sample sizes, closely matching the UK population distribution.

All regional viewing undertaken within the region is reported against the regional variant. For example, all regional viewing within the London area is reported as London viewing, regardless of its actual origination.

Sub-group factoring, whereby smaller regions have key trading audiences factored against Network audiences to reduce variability in published data, is undertaken for Border, North East, West, South-West and Ulster. All Database 2 reporting audiences for these regions are factored against individuals 4+.

When a household agrees to join the panel their home has all their television sets, PVRs, DVDRs, VCRs etc. electronically monitored by a meter. Each piece of equipment that is connected to each TV set in the home is also connected to the BARB meter, which electronically monitors the equipment and determines which one is feeding the TV screen at any point and what it is doing. Over 30,000 devices, including equipment that is identified but not measured by BARB (games consoles, for example) are connected into BARB meters. Each TV in a home is connected to its own meter which holds an electronic record for the set. The meter is a small box which is put close to each television set and connected to it. The meter automatically identifies the channel that the panel member is viewing.

The company responsible for recruiting panel homes and installing the metering equipment is Kantar Media.
All panel household residents and their guests register their presence when in a room with a television set on (the BARB definition of television viewing). Each individual panel member does this by pressing the button allocated to them on each meter handset. An LED screen on the front of the meter reminds panel members periodically to register their presence if they have not already done so. Whenever a panel member leaves a room they de-register their presence. The metering system monitors all registrations made by each individual for each television in the home.
The panel member does not need to do anything else in order for BARB to capture all the viewing in their household everyday. Throughout the day the meter system stores all viewing undertaken by the entire household. Every night between 2am and 6am the data is automatically downloaded from every panel home (a process known as ‘polling’). The data is processed to incorporate numerous weighting and grossing variables before being released to the industry as "overnight" minute-by-minute television viewing data at 9.30 each morning. This includes any recorded material played back on the same day as the original transmission, referred to as "VOSDAL" (Viewing-On-Same-Day-As-Live). Broadcasters, amongst others, use overnight data to provide them with an initial idea of how the previous day’s programmes and advertising have performed.

PVR, DVDR and VCR playback and catch-up VOD viewing via TV set-top boxes is reported 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. Consolidated data is the ‘BARB Gold Standard’ that is used by the industry to report and trade on.

Channels reported by BARB provide 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 viewing estimates for each individual programme and commercial.

All individuals aged 4+ are measured and reported by BARB. Within this, a user may look at any age group they wish.

http://www.barb.co.uk

[Smithy]

coz someone is gonna read all of that omah

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Smithy

coz someone is gonna read all of that omah

If you don't read, you'll never learn .....

[kisywisy]

I read it lol

I don't understand why they can't get the viewing figures from sky/virgin/bt etc as well. Think figures would be a damn-sight more accurate

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by kisywisy

I read it lol

I don't understand why they can't get the viewing figures from sky/virgin/bt etc as well. Think figures would be a damn-sight more accurate

The figures are taken from monitoring boxes affixed to all viewing devices in the household. Not from TV transmission companies.

If a person in one of the sampled houses watches a TV program on sky its recorded as the channel they watch.

The mention in the write up is talking about demographic areas.

The only way to gain more accurate samplings would be to increase the numbers of households sampled.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Shasown

The figures are taken from monitoring boxes affixed to all viewing devices in the household. Not from TV transmission companies.

If a person in one of the sampled houses watches a TV program on sky its recorded as the channel they watch.

The mention in the write up is talking about demographic areas.

The only way to gain more accurate samplings would be to increase the numbers of households sampled.

The extract actually says :

When a household agrees to join the panel their home has all their television sets, PVRs, DVDRs, VCRs etc. electronically monitored by a meter. Each piece of equipment that is connected to each TV set in the home is also connected to the BARB meter, which electronically monitors the equipment and determines which one is feeding the TV screen at any point and what it is doing. Over 30,000 devices, including equipment that is identified but not measured by BARB (games consoles, for example) are connected into BARB meters. Each TV in a home is connected to its own meter which holds an electronic record for the set. The meter is a small box which is put close to each television set and connected to it. The meter automatically identifies the channel that the panel member is viewing.

[Me. I Am Salman]

Originally Posted by kisywisy

I read it lol

I don't understand why they can't get the viewing figures from sky/virgin/bt etc as well. Think figures would be a damn-sight more accurate

agreed!!!

[Vicky.]

Oh my god, deja vu. I got into a HUGE argument about this during the last cbb (I think it was)

And I still dont see how a few thousand boxes can give accurate readings

[Niall]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Oh my god, deja vu. I got into a HUGE argument about this during the last cbb (I think it was)

And I still dont see how a few thousand boxes can give accurate readings

This

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Omah

The extract actually says :

Yeah I know what it says.

I was simply explaining the relevant parts to kisy, who had admitted she read it but didnt understand it.

Maybe when you do your usual cut and paste jobbies you could highlight relevant or important sections instead of just pasting verbatim. It could save such confusion and make everyone elses lives a little easier.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Yeah I know what it says.

I was simply explaining the relevant parts to kisy, who had admitted she read it but didnt understand it.

Maybe when you do your usual cut and paste jobbies you could highlight relevant or important sections instead of just pasting verbatim. It could save such confusion and make everyone elses lives a little easier.

OTOH, you merely repeated what was already there, paraphrasing the contents, presumably to present yourself as an expert .....

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Omah

OTOH, you merely repeated what was already there, paraphrasing the contents, presumably to present yourself as an expert .....

Yeah of course thats what its about.

Thats why I referenced the write up you had as usual cut and pasted so helpfully.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Yeah of course thats what its about.

Thats why I referenced the write up you had as usual cut and pasted so helpfully.

I hadn't "cut and pasted a write up" (sic) .....

I had copied and pasted a series of extracts from comprehesive articles on the BARB site, to which I arrached a link ....

Your "reference" was, of course, not linked, non-specific and inaccurate :

The mention in the write up is talking about demographic areas.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Omah

I hadn't "cut and pasted a write up" (sic) .....

I had copied and pasted a series of extracts from comprehesive articles on the BARB site, to which I arrached a link ....

Your "reference" was, of course, not linked, non-specific and inaccurate :

Arrached is that BS talk for attached? Dont you mean "posted" (or should that be pasted) a link as opposed to attached it?

If you want to play who can pi** the highest, fill your boots old girl. You will be playing with yourself. My ego doesnt need to be stroked!!!

I suppose I could have copied and pasted and quoted all the relevant sections from your well researched C&P article(s), explaining each in turn but hey call me Mr Lazy, thought it was simpler just to go down and dirty. Besides any eejit can see I am referring to the comprehensive pasting you made.

[Me. I Am Salman]

Barb is totally unreliable

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Salman!

Barb is totally unreliable

Yeah it could be updated and made more reliable and accurate.

Unfortunately it isnt and its the only thing we have thats recognised across the board. So until the broadcasting industry decide to increase its funding significantly, we are stuck with it.

[Me. I Am Salman]

agree, it's 2012 and the way we measure ratings is so outdated.

[billy123]

Originally Posted by Salman!

Barb is totally unreliable

Your wrong.
It could be better if somebody was willing to pump millions into but they arent plus the ratings are mean tested using questionnaires and are actually found to be accurate enough to satisfy people that are willing to spend millions on advertising so i doubt a few whinging bb fans matter.

[billy123]

Originally Posted by Salman!

this.

Originally Posted by Salman!

agreed!!!

Originally Posted by Niall

This

Stop spamming the place with this crap its ridiculous and makes you look silly are you that desperate to boost your post counts?

[RodHull]

Its bewildering that massive corporations still base business decisions on information that unreliable in the year 2012 tbh. In no other business would they sample just 5000 people out of a whole nation to find out how well a product was doing.