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reporting panel is weighted for age, social grade, sex, presence of children, region and the household digital type on a daily basis to ensure it is representative of the UK as a whole. The main Pulse measure, the AI or
Appreciation Index, is obtained by respondents being asked to mark out of 10 each of the programmes they watched or listened to the previous day, where 10 is the highest score and 1 the lowest. The average of all these marks out of 10 for a programme is then multiplied by 10 to give an Appreciation score (AI). For example, when aggregating scores for all programmes together for BBC TV (as of March 2011), the average score is 8.2, which gives an AI of 82.
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they were about viewing figures, and this marked the start of the frequent measurement of audience totals. With the establishment of commercial television, individual broadcasters began to gather their own ratings data, as well as viewer opinion in the form of the AI, until 1981, when the major industry players set up the
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An extensive study undertaken by the BBC into how people score programmes and what variables help to make up an AI score found that one of the leading factors in determining an AI score was whether a programme was deemed to be "high quality". Other factors such as the amount of effort people take to
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As the individual ratings that produce the AI of a programme are recorded online the day after broadcast, the resulting score is usually available two days after broadcast, though these scores are not generally made public by the BBC. The AI is considered especially useful for assessing the level of
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Additional measures include ratings for the quality and distinctiveness of the programmes. There are a selection of other questions that form part of the survey – some that are always asked, and some that may be asked depending on the programme. An example of the former is to note how much of each
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At this time only a limited number of TV channels are covered by this rating system, and only broadcasts watched live, or in recorded form the same day, are given AI scores. More extensive surveys, covering more channels and including programmes recorded for viewing within a week of broadcast, are
82:
will not garner an AI, as the response for that programme may have been too small. Nor is the AI a conclusive measure; while it is valuable for comparisons within a particular programme category, comparisons between the AIs of different programme types (e.g. dramas with quiz shows) carry no weight.
81:
was reported, in 2009, to be 84. Programmes with specialist appeal will often score higher ratings. Internal guidance to BBC production staff is that an AI of 85 or over is to be considered excellent, over 90 is exceptional, 60 or less is poor, and less than 55 is very poor. Sometimes a programme
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is to find out whether the viewers considered a programme to be of 'high quality'. An example of the latter would be a question designed to gauge whether the viewer 'learned something new'. Viewers are also asked to rate how much effort they took to view the programme—whether they made a special
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Audience
Research Unit as a daily survey called Pulse, a panel of around 20,000 people (16+) who are invited to complete a survey every day to say what they have watched and listened to, and what they thought of each programme. Pulse measures a wide range of BBC and competitor stations. The daily
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A flaw in the method became apparent when programmes with low audience numbers were left with a small, yet loyal, core of fans. These would give the programme an inflated AI. When commercial television launched in
Britain in 1955, advertisers were less concerned about attitudes to programmes than
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began conducting surveys of its radio and television audiences. The intention was not to count the number of listeners or viewers, but to gauge opinion on the programmes themselves. The BBC used volunteers, who kept diaries of their listening and viewing habits, submitting them to the corporation
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The study found that scores can be affected in different ways for different types of programme. The score for a sport programme can depend on which team a panellist supports and who won or lost. Scores for a programme can vary according to how long a show has been running, so a new comedy will
174:, have helped to increase the quality of the TV watching experience, and this in turn has improved average AI scores. People typically give programmes they have recorded, or have viewed in HD, a higher score than the same programme watched live or in standard definition.
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appreciation by viewers for programmes made for small or specialist audiences. If a television programme has performed only passably in the ratings, yet achieves a high AI, it can help to determine whether the programme should be recommissioned.
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The panel enables the BBC to collect over 5,000 responses a day on TV and radio programmes. Panelists are encouraged, by means of a prize draw reward scheme, to log in at least ten times in any one month.
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Under BARB, viewing diaries were sent to 2,000 people on a panel made up of members of the public each week, with a further four panels consisting of 1,000 people each receiving diaries every four weeks.
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have received AI scores in the 20s. One criticism of the more general value of AI scores is that audiences tend to watch those shows they like, or expect to like, and so will tend to score them well.
89:), or for specialist programmes, or some very popular dramas. The highest recorded score until the end of 2009 was 97 for a US import on Sky1. Scores lower than 30 are very rare, though some
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85:
AI scores in the 90s are less common, though this is less the case for niche, targeted programming that attracts a limited number of viewers, such US imports on smaller channels (such as
167:
The study found that changes in the TV market, such as the expanded choice offered by digital TV, the introduction of HD and the increased use of PVRs and catch up services such as
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programme was watched, using a scale of 1–10, where '10' means that the viewer watched it all, and '1' means that they watched very little. Also of key importance to the
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413:
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for the major broadcasters and advertisers in the UK. Currently the AI is produced as part of an online
Television Appreciation Survey, on behalf of the
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typically start with a lower average score and then increase over time as viewers become accustomed to the characters and settings.
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118:(BARB) to compile this information. In 2002, BARB ceased to compile AI data; currently the BBC commissions its own research.
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view the programme or whether viewers found it entertaining were also important.
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On average, programmes aired on the BBC's four main television channels (
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Since 2005 the panel has been recruited and administered online by
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were calculated and privately made known to the programme-makers.
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has a higher average AI (85 – as of March 2011) than any other
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244:"Measuring and monitoring public value–the BBC approach]"
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effort, just some effort, or watched it because it was on.
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355:"Inside the BBC – Audience Information – April–June 2013"
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Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the
73:AI for a drama programme on UK television channels
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517:"BBC Audience Information January – March 2011"
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147:occasionally carried out by smaller panels.
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306:"How do I rate thee? Let me count the ways"
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299:
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222:"Television Appreciation Survey Website"
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509:
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333:"Inside the BBC – Audience Information"
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34:(BARB), the organisation that compiles
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492:from the original on 13 February 2008
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412:Matthewman, Scott (19 January 2010).
327:
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262:Matthewman, Scott (19 January 2010).
192:Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
116:Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
32:Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
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106:periodically. From these, the first
414:"Between a rating and a hard place"
264:"Between a rating and a hard place"
13:
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448:Andy Beckett (20 November 2001).
568:Television in the United Kingdom
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304:McLean, Gareth (1 June 2009).
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377:"BBC Annual Report 2008/2009"
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16:Measure of programme approval
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42:Audience Research Unit, by
21:Audience Appreciation Index
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91:party political broadcasts
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553:BBC Audience Information
458:. London. Archived from
422:. London. Archived from
314:. London. Archived from
272:. London. Archived from
232:on 24 September 2020.
197:Audience measurement
108:Appreciation Indexes
318:on 22 January 2016.
393:on 30 October 2012
365:on 22 August 2014.
36:television ratings
343:on 26 April 2013.
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386:. Archived from
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228:. Archived from
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542:External links
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462:on 10 May 2014
450:"Numbers game"
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426:on 25 May 2010
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276:on 25 May 2010
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101:In 1936, the
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548:BARB website
527:. Retrieved
494:. Retrieved
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464:. Retrieved
460:the original
455:The Guardian
453:
428:. Retrieved
424:the original
417:
407:
395:. Retrieved
388:the original
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363:the original
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341:the original
316:the original
311:The Guardian
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278:. Retrieved
274:the original
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482:"ITC Notes"
208:References
134:, for the
529:3 October
496:8 January
466:9 January
419:The Stage
269:The Stage
182:channel.
63:BBC Three
562:Category
490:Archived
186:See also
67:BBC Four
172:iPlayer
132:GfK NOP
97:History
75:BBC One
71:average
59:BBC Two
55:BBC One
44:GfK NOP
430:10 May
397:10 May
280:10 May
176:BBC HD
122:Method
520:(PDF)
486:Ofcom
391:(PDF)
380:(PDF)
531:2011
498:2008
468:2008
432:2010
399:2010
282:2010
87:Sky1
79:ITV1
77:and
65:and
19:The
524:BBC
384:BBC
359:BBC
337:BBC
226:GfK
180:BBC
169:BBC
153:BBC
136:BBC
103:BBC
40:BBC
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