Series 6 Viewing Figures

[23skidoo]

I think its the score from 5,000 people though how they choose them I am not sure but its a fairly good barometer normally on how well an episode was liked. I have to admit I expected a low 80's score for episode 3.

Considering most surveys use a sample of closer to 1000 people, having a sample 5000 is actually statistically speaking very substantial, just ask anyone who studies statistics. I was quite surprised to see how large the sample is. By comparison, Nielsen Ratings used a 5000-strong sample prior to about 2007 (It's since substantially increased this number) - for a nation of about 300 million people. The UK has 60 million, so a 5000-person panel for the AI in the UK, percentage wise, dwarfs what Nielsen and most survey organizations in the US do.

I happened to like the pirates episode, so I'm glad to see it score in the high 80s. Incidentally, 85 is considered "excellent" and people tend not to get their knickers in a twist unless an episode scores below 70. Which I think has only happened once or twice since DW came back on the air.

Don't Scare the Hare scored a 46 on its first episode, which is a disaster.

Alex

 

[Jax]

Since DW came back I think 76 is the lowest AI and that was for the first 2 episodes back in 2005 and Love & Monsters in 2006. Doctor Who is nearly always in the 80's and infact has not dropped out of the 80's range for any episode since Love and Monsters I think.

 

[Phily B]

the ratings for series 6 aren't really comparable to other seasons ifthey're using live+7 are they?

Why not? Apples are being compared to Apples, so they should definitely be comparable

If they're counting every DVR/BBC3 repeat/unique iPlayer viewing? Which they never did before.

 

[Sindatur]

the ratings for series 6 aren't really comparable to other seasons ifthey're using live+7 are they?

Why not? Apples are being compared to Apples, so they should definitely be comparable

If they're counting every DVR/BBC3 repeat/unique iPlayer viewing? Which they never did before.

According to others, the ratings ahve been done the same for a few years now

 

[Jax]

BBC 3 repeats are not taken in the final numbers and are reported on their own. I Player numbers also are NOT added into the BARB final ratings.

 

[Mr Awe]

I think its the score from 5,000 people though how they choose them I am not sure but its a fairly good barometer normally on how well an episode was liked. I have to admit I expected a low 80's score for episode 3.

Considering most surveys use a sample of closer to 1000 people, having a sample 5000 is actually statistically speaking very substantial, just ask anyone who studies statistics.

That would be me and, yes, 5000 is very substantial.

By comparison, Nielsen Ratings used a 5000-strong sample prior to about 2007 (It's since substantially increased this number) - for a nation of about 300 million people. The UK has 60 million, so a 5000-person panel for the AI in the UK, percentage wise, dwarfs what Nielsen and most survey organizations in the US do.

It's a bit counter-intuitive but the size of the sample is much more important than its percentage of the population. So, a 5k sample of 300 million is nearly as good as a 5k sample from 60 million. The size of the population doesn't matter that much.

Generally speaking, anything above 2500 is gravy if you're just looking at the population as one whole, although smaller samples are often fine. However, if you want to study subgroups, you can split that sample up and still have an adequate sample size for each subgroup.

That's probably more than anyone wanted to know . . .

Mr Awe

 

[Savage Jaw]

BBC 3 repeats are not taken in the final numbers and are reported on their own. I Player numbers also are NOT added into the BARB final ratings.

However the BBC's Live Plus 7 figures DO include BBC3 repeats and a statistically adjusted iPlayer figure.

 

[Skellington]

This just in: According to this SFX article, The Impossible Astronaut is now officially the most recorded show in UK TV history, with 4.1 million time-shifted viewings. That should put fears of declining ratings to bed for a while!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^It also had 1.3m views on iPlayer.

 

[Savage Jaw]

The BBC have released partial Live +7 information for May, and it has information on the Live +7 figure for "The Doctor's Wife".

The final consolidated BARB figure for that episode was 7.97 million viewers. The Live +7 figure, which "measures the total audience consuming content across all platforms, including live, recordings, narrative repeats, BBC iPlayer and HD for seven days after transmission" is 9.9 million viewers.

The Live +7 system "makes extensive use of BARB data and collates these ratings relating to a particular programme or episode alongside BBC iPlayer stats."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/06_june/27/live7.shtml

 

[Turbo]

Well, that sounds like better news!

 

[ThankQ]

Okay, someone help me out with UK numbers. I know a tad (TAD!) about US numbers, but I know nothing of UK numbers.

Is the show safe at this point? I'm just getting into it. I'd hate to get my ass kicked for a 3rd time! (Got into The West Wing the season that Sorkin left, got into Boston Legal in the final season)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Okay, someone help me out with UK numbers. I know a tad (TAD!) about US numbers, but I know nothing of UK numbers.

Is the show safe at this point? I'm just getting into it. I'd hate to get my ass kicked for a 3rd time! (Got into The West Wing the season that Sorkin left, got into Boston Legal in the final season)

Yes it's safe. The next series is ordered, the series after that is already being planned. It's definitely not going anywhere until 2014 at the earliest.

 

[Skywalker]

And even by then it'll probably still be fine.

 

[captcalhoun]

as long as the BBC continues to make a metric fuck-ton of money off it, it'll be safe.

if they only make an imperial fuck-ton, it might be in trouble.

the metric fuck-ton is worth 1.37 imperial FuT.

 

[MacLeod]

For the benefit of our American viewers a 9.9m viewers in the UK would be in the region of 45m in the US based on the fact that the UK population is around the fifth of the US.

Not sure how it would translate to the US Nielson ratings but can you imagine a US Network cancelling a show with a fgure that high?

But as others have said DW is secure till at least 2014, It would be suicide for the BBC to cancel the show in it's 50th Anniversary year (2013).

 

[Solariabsg25]

For the benefit of our American viewers a 9.9m viewers in the UK would be in the region of 45m in the US based on the fact that the UK population is around the fifth of the US.

Not sure how it would translate to the US Nielson ratings but can you imagine a US Network cancelling a show with a fgure that high?

But as others have said DW is secure till at least 2014, It would be suicide for the BBC to cancel the show in it's 50th Anniversary year (2013).

Yes we fortunately do not have a BBC Controller like in McCoys last year, who detested the show so much, he didn't put any promos out and stuck it on in direct competition with Coronation Street (for the information of non-UK people that's ratings suicide).

The BBC have treated Who better since the revival, and have a much better merchandising machine to build on the popularity of the show.