Viewings
Also called: viewing research
Viewing figures provide a picture of the viewing behavior and reach of television broadcasts. Thanks to audience figures, television stations, broadcasters and program makers have insight into the number of viewers to their programs and advertisers and media agencies know how well commercials are viewed. Viewer figures are not measured exactly but are calculated from a sample.
In the Netherlands, the Stichting Kijk Onderzoek ( SKO) is responsible for research into viewing behavior. To measure viewing figures, so-called viewing meters have been placed with a representative panel consisting of 2,700 members spread over more than 1,200 households.
In viewing research, other statistics are collected in addition to the number of viewers. In addition to the (total) reach of a broadcast, the number of viewers is known to the second and the audience density, the average percentage of viewers, can also be calculated. Both reach, audience density and market share can be broken down by target group, such as age, gender and region.
Viewership research helps advertisers and agencies determine where and when best to air their spots and calculate the media value a campaign has generated. Based on ratings and zapping behavior, broadcasters can improve their offerings and program makers their programs.
