TV Ratings Stats

[ninebob]

Was just wondering how TV Ratings are calculated?

When they said the other day, for example, that Eastenders had hit an all time low of 7 million viewers or whatever it was, how did they know? No-one knocked on my door and asked me if I was watching it or not!

I can only guess that they do a sample poll (by phone, maybe) of a few hundred people during each programme and multiply the results. Or can anyone give a better theory?

 

[breezer]

saw a prog on tv, they have a special box next to tv and a spodder (remote control) they input their personal code and what they are watching, several thousand household do this.

it does seem an old way of doing it, with the person having to "say" what tv station they are watching

 

[jasy]

Is it an old wives tale about the increase in use of electricity

 

[breezer]

Is it an old wives tale about the increase in use of electricity

dont think so, think about it, in commercail break what do you do , put kettle on, so do millions of others

 

[ZenStalinist]

No, it's not an old wive's tale.

Biggest increase in electricity related to TV, and a very well managed was England v. FRG 1990.

I wonder if ever they get the forecasting for power usage wrong, and the voltage drops by a couple of volts or something. Probably not as likely as it sounds though. Does anybody ever measure that sort of thing?

As for the viewing survey thing, I thought most boxes recorded what people were watching using a SCART output offered by most TVs of what is currently being viewed. There's likely many ways of doing that sort of thing, and I'm sure if it weren't for the data protection act, Mr. Murdoch would be using our telephone connection to collect info on our viewing habits right now.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

As for the viewing survey thing, I thought most boxes recorded what people were watching using a SCART output offered by most TVs of what is currently being viewed. There's likely many ways of doing that sort of thing, and I'm sure if it weren't for the data protection act, Mr. Murdoch would be using our telephone connection to collect info on our viewing habits right now.

I would like to know how TV detector vans work, seeing as the TV is a reciever, I wouldn't have thought that they would pick up a signal though the aerial. Are they picking up the signals from the tube? If so do plasma/lcd tv's prevent this? Or is there circuitry built in for this???

 

[breezer]

its a secret how they work see this

 

[ZenStalinist]

they use the local oscillators, which give a very weak signal. They can also tell if you'r fraudulently using a black and white licence, because the colour subcarrier will be fully reproduced on the Intermediate Frequency OR you will be tuned to a digital channel (black and white licences do not cover the new digital channels)

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

they use the local oscillators, which give a very weak signal.

Yep, still don't know!

So, is this deliberately built in, or just unavoidable?

 

[AdamW]

Surely though, TV detector vans are a form of racket? Think about it. You pay money to TV Licencing for your full colour licence, they leave you alone. But if you don't buy one, or buy a B&W one, they come round and hang about outside your house.

You know how if you have a lodger, they need a separate licence for a TV in their bedroom? Well, how does that work? Do they have it on their database that you have a lodger, and come round anyway? Do they say "We know you have a licence, but can we have a look at your spare room please, just to make sure?"

How many countries have detector vans? I tried to explain to an American once that they had to have a licence for their TV and they thought I was taking the p*ss!

Still, I would rather keep the licencing system and have the BBC. Is it just me or do the Sky channels have far more ads on them than ITV and C4?

 

[AdamW]

they use the local oscillators, which give a very weak signal.

Yep, still don't know!

So, is this deliberately built in, or just unavoidable?

It's part of the tuner itself, not the screen. So, unless you can design a special type of tuner, probably fully passive (i.e. get rid of the local oscillators) then they will pick it up whether it is CRT, plasma, LCD, DLP, you name it. Even if you have a VCR switched on and receiving, with no TVs on, they will pick it up.

Oh, and your fully passive tuner would probably cost you several years' TV licence costs anyway!

 

[pipme]

Is it an old wives tale about the increase in use of electricity

dont think so, think about it, in commercail break what do you do , put kettle on, so do millions of others

Nah, got one of these .. best thing since sliced bread 2.2 Litre electric water boiler ... max power 785Watts on reboil, 35Watt keep warm ... keeps me on the coffee all day !! It seriously is quite good ... a press to 'pump' action table top thingy .. Elia EPBK-22W
Com break ? get on the old handset goodbye adverts !!

P

 

[masona]

Is it an old wives tale about the increase in use of electricity

dont think so, think about it, in commercail break what do you do , put kettle on, so do millions of others

I was also told that but can't see how do they know what channel I was watching !

Have you noticed channel 3, 4, & 5 commercial are on nearly at the time !

Now tell me which channel was I watching ?

If I don't put the kettle on bearing in mind BBC 1 & 2 don't have commercial break, so was I watching channel 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 ?

 

[pipme]

................ Have you noticed channel 3, 4, & 5 commercial are on nearly at the time ! ...........

You really meant to ask what time you were watching, didn't you Maso ? Or you been on the four star .. again ?