Background - Glossary

Ad Funded Mobile Operator

Ad-funded networks provide mobile phone services in return for viewing advertising messages. (In the UK, operator Blyk is an ad-funded operator that targets 16-24 year old students. Known as an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), Blyk uses the Orange network to provide its mobile services.) There is no monthly charge or contract, the user simply receives an allocation of free minutes in exchange for receiving and viewing ads in the form of text and image-based messages. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

AFP

Advertiser Funded Programme – a programme funded by an advertiser rather than by a broadcaster (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Audience

Population or target group viewing a television programme or an advertising campaign. Audience measurements are expressed as percentages, or as estimated numbers of households or individuals watching a program. (Source: Nielsen media research and Thinkbox.tv)

Audience Flow

A measure of the change in audience during and between programs. Audience flow shows the percentages of people or households who turn on or off a program, switch to or from another channel, or remain on the same channel as the previous program. (Source: Nielsen media research)

Average Audience

A widely used rating term, expressed as a percentage, to reflect viewing to the average minute of a program or time period. It is calculated by adding together the audience for each individual minute of a programme and dividing it by the programme's total duration. It serves as an estimate of the average commercial audience (households or persons). (Source: Nielsen media research and Thinkbox.tv)

Average Frequency

Estimate of the average number of times the audience had an opportunity to see a commercial. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Average Quarter Hour (AQH)

The number of persons or households estimated to be tuned to a specific channel or program for at least five minutes during an average fifteen minute period. (Source: Nielsen media research)

Branded Content

See AFP

Commercial Break

A break in television programme transmission, during which advertisements are shown. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Consolidated Audience

The consolidated audience is the sum of the live and timeshift audiences. (Source: BARB)

Consolidated Viewing

The total of real time (at transmission time) and video playback viewing (occurring within an agreed period e.g. seven days of the first transmission time). (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Cost Per Thousand

The cost of reaching 1000 viewers within a target audience with your advertisement. The CPT is also sometimes known as 'Average Station Price'. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Coverage

The proportion of a target group who have an opportunity to see one or more commercial transmissions. Coverage reflects the ability to view, not actual viewing. (Source: Nielsen media research and Thinkbox.tv)

Cumulative Audience

The number of different people who tune for at least one quarter hour to a station within a specified time block. Often expressed as a percent. (Source: Canwest)

Day-After Recall (DAR)

Proportion of audience who can recall sales messages and attributes of specific commercials. A survey is conducted by telephone on the day after the commercial(s) ran. (Source: Canwest)

DCAB

Digital Cable – the distribution platform utilised by the cable operators, generally combining television with telephony. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

DSat

Digital satellite. (Source: Nielsen media research)

DTR

Digital Television Recorder - a device which uses a hard-drive to record and store digital video content. Well-known brands include Freeview Playback, Tivo and Sky+. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

DTT

Digital Terrestrial Television. The distribution method most commonly referred to as the ‘Freeview’ platform. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Demographics

Basic descriptors used to classify respondents - such as age, sex, marital status, occupation, social grade, etc (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Enhanced TV

TV programming supplemented with extra datacast material, in order to enhance its viewer appeal, generally accessed through the red button. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

EPG

Electronic Programme Guide – an on-screen guide to channel programme listings and other services carried by a platform operator (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Free-to-air

TV channels broadcast by various means but offered free to end-users, who do not have to pay any subscription in order to receive them. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Frequency

The number of times the target audience of a TV campaign has the opportunity to see the campaign, expressed over a period of time. Synonym of OTS : Opportunities To See ads in a campaign. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

HDTV

High Definition TV – signals transmitted with at least double the horizontal and vertical resolution of conventional broadcast material. HDTV has 1125 lines of resolution vs. 525 for SD. (Source: TVB and thinkbox.tv)

Head of Household

The Head of Household is the household member who either owns the property; is responsible for paying the rent; has use of the home as a result of his/her job; or is related to the owner or main tenant (where the owner or main tenant is not a regular member of the household).

Household

A group of people who live together and manage their bills and expenses as one unit (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Head of Household

The Head of Household is the household member who either owns the property; is responsible for paying the rent. (Source: BARB)

Households Using Television (HUT)

The percentage of all television households in a survey area with one or more sets in use during a specific time period. The sum of the average ratings for a given time period will sometimes be higher than the HUT number because of households viewing multiple programs at the same time. If a household is watching two programs, it is counted toward each program rating but only once toward a HUT number. (Source: Nielsen media research)

IA

Interactive Advertising - commercials broadcast on digital TV with an overlay prompting the viewer to ‘press red’ for additional information, sample etc. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Interactive TV (iTV)

Broadcast television combined with interactive enhancements and extensions, allowing viewers to control content and interact with the broadcaster (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Internet TV

Content being transmitted over the public internet. Can include short form programming such as Youtube and on-demand content viewed over broadband such as 4OD and Joost. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

IPTV

Internet Protocol Television. A system where digital television is delivered using the Internet Protocol over a closed network infrastructure. IPTV services include Tiscali TV. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Media Mix

The distribution of time and money allocated among TV, radio, print and Internet advertising that makes up the total advertising budget of an advertiser, agency or media buyer. (Source: Nielsen media research)

OTS

Opportunities to see an ad. See Frequency (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Out of Home Viewing

TV audience viewing outside private homes, typically meaning pubs, clubs, offices, hospitals, hotel rooms etc (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Overnights

Term used to describe viewing data made available the following day. Comprised only of ‘live’ viewing. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Panel

Representative survey sample from which data are collected over time (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Pay TV

Channels for which a subscriber pays over and above the basic cable fee. The signal is descrambled by use of a decoder. (Source: Canwest)

People-meters

Used to record electronically the TV viewing of the panel, comprising a set meter and separate handset (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Platform

A term encompassing the various ways in which a home can receive television. The six platforms currently reported are: analogue terrestrial; analogue satellite; analogue cable; digital terrestrial; digital satellite; digital cable. (Source: BARB)

Profile

A means by which viewers to a channel, programme or day-part may be broken down across a single variable such as age or class, always totalling 100 (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Reach

The cumulative percentage of a population measured to have viewed at least once, for a specified consecutive period of time (typically 1+, 3+ or 20+ mins) . (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Simulcasting

Contraction of "simultaneous broadcast”. The simultaneous broadcasting of a TV channel or programme on two or more different transmission systems. (Source: Thinkbox.tv)

Video on Demand (VOD)

A planned system using video compression to supply programs to viewers when requested, via ISDN or cable. (Source: Canwest)