A measure of how popular a television programme is, expressed as the percentage of people who watched it compared with the number who could have watched it.

A measure of how popular a television programme is, expressed as the percentage of people who watched it compared with the number who could have watched it.

• A. Shares
• B. Ratings
• C. Demographics
• D. Primetime

Answer: (B)

This item tests understanding of television audience metrics, focusing on how ratings are defined. A rating is the percentage of the total potential audience that watches a program—essentially its popularity relative to everyone who could have watched it, not just those actively watching TV at the moment. The described measure fits ratings because it compares actual viewers to all possible viewers. By contrast, a share is the percentage of people watching TV at that moment who are tuned to the program, demographics describe who the audience is (age, gender, etc.), and primetime is simply a time block, not a measurement.

This item tests understanding of television audience metrics, focusing on how ratings are defined. A rating is the percentage of the total potential audience that watches a program—essentially its popularity relative to everyone who could have watched it, not just those actively watching TV at the moment. The described measure fits ratings because it compares actual viewers to all possible viewers. By contrast, a share is the percentage of people watching TV at that moment who are tuned to the program, demographics describe who the audience is (age, gender, etc.), and primetime is simply a time block, not a measurement.