This presentation looks at who and what BARB are/do! BARB look specifically at Audience viewing figure both live and catch-up television.

1. Scott Cartwright
A2 Media Studies
Brief 6
Using information acquired from: http://www.barb.co.uk/

2. WHO ARE THEY? WHAT DO THEY DO?
• BARB was started in the year 1981, their job was to provide the industry standard
television audience measurement service for broadcasters, and also the advertising
industry. BARB is actually owned by television companies such as BBC, ITV,
Channel 4, Channel 5, BSkyB and the IPA (Otherwise known as ‘Institute of
Practitioners in Advertising’) and is a not for profit company limited by guarantee.
• BARB actually commissions research companies to provide the services that their
users want, also including the production of audience viewing figures. The audience
measurement contracts are held by the following companies - RSMB, Ipsos MORI
and Kantar Media (formerly known as TNS).

3. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVE AND
CONSOLIDATED BARB DATA?
• Live data reports viewing that takes place at the time of the original broadcast.
• Consolidated data incorporates playback of time-shifted content within 7 days of the
original broadcast. This timeshift viewing is added to the live data to produce
consolidated viewing data made available 8 days after the original transmission date.
Consolidated data is the BARB Gold Standard used by the industry to report and
trade on.
• Since July 2013, BARB has made available time-shifted viewing up to 28 days after
the original transmission. It can be added to the live data. This viewing is not included
in the BARB Gold Standard Calculations.
• I feel that BARB have added the ‘28 days after’ section because of the rise of catch -
up television such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand 5, and Sky. Which,
coincidentally, all own BARB together.

4. WHAT AGE GROUPS DO BARB SPECIFICALLY
LOOK INTO GETTING DATA FOR A REPORT?
• All individuals aged 4+ are measured and reported by BARB. Within this, a
user may look at any age group they wish.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF VIEWING
THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO RATINGS?
• The viewing is reported by clock minute. Each clock minute is attributed to
the channel that is viewed the longest within the clock minute subject to
there being at least 30 seconds of viewing.

5. COMPARING RESULTS FROM 2012, 2013 AND 2014
CHANNEL NAME OCT’/NOV’ 2012 OCT’/NOV’ 2013 OCT’/NOV’ 2014 % OF WEEKLY VIEWS
BBC One 47,836 47,425 47,065 20.5 21.1 21.3
BBC Two 34,684 33,594 33,385 6.1 5.5 5.4
ITV 1 40,988 39,865 37,166 14.3 13.8 12.8
Channel 4 35,580 35,647 34,067 5.1 4.7 4.9
Five 27,709 28,327 27,767 3.9 3.8 3.8
ITV 2 20,370 20,164 18,753 2.1 2.1 1.8
BBC THREE 16,020 15,092 14,048 1.2 1.4 1.1
BBC FOUR 11,564 11,474 10,465 0.8 0.9 0.8
ITV 3 10,115 12,168 10,548 2.1 2.2 1.9
ITV 4 10,584 10,864 9,279 0.9 1.0 1.1
CBBC 6,012 4,832 4,605 1.0 0.7 0.6

6. COMPARING RESULTS FROM 2012, 2013 AND 2014
• If we look at the following data that I have collected, I have decided to specifically
focus on two mainstream channels, namely BBC One and ITV 1, and also one niche
and yet known channel, CBBC.
CHANNEL NAME OCT’/NOV’ 2012 OCT’/NOV’ 2013 OCT’/NOV’ 2014 % OF WEEKLY VIEWS
BBC One 47,836 47,425 47,065 20.5 21.1 21.3
ITV 1 40,988 39,865 37,166 14.3 13.8 12.8
CBBC 6,012 4,832 4,605 1.0 0.7 0.6
• Looking at the weekly viewing figures, it shows just how much live television viewing
is becoming less frequently watched, this being due to rising demand of ‘Catch -Up’
Television. Also we can see how producers are become much more nuanced in how
they are targeting their audience, by this I mean that the content that is produced
perhaps on CBBC may favour towards a specific genre.