Battle of the ratings

EVER wondered how many other people are watching the same programme

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Q.� How do you work out who is watching what

A.� The way most researchers find out who is watching is to measure a sample of TV viewers. In the US for national ratings estimates Nielson media Research uses a sample of more than 5,000 households covering over 13,000 people who have agreed to participate.

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Q.� Who uses the research

A.� it has been huge business since the 1930s and is used primarily by the broadcasting and advertising industries.