BARB Defends New Ratings System

BARB has defended its new TV ratings system after rival research showed that over 3 million viewers might have been “lost” from an episode of Coronation Street.

The research, commissioned by media agency Carat, showed that 14.5 million viewers watched an episode of Coronation Street shown on Friday 25 January, 3.3 million more than the 11.2 million figure estimated by BARB.

Carat, which counts Coronation Street sponsor Cadbury among its clients, commissioned BMRB to carry out a telephone poll last weekend to establish how many people watched the episode, fearing that BARB had been underrating TV viewing levels.

In response to the findings, BARB said that Carat’s research had “overstated viewing claims” as it included viewers who watched last Friday’s episode of Coronation Street when it was repeated later that evening on ITV2.

BARB’s research director, Tony Wearn, said: “A telephone snap-shot poll of this kind could not be expected to be compatible with BARB audience estimates. The accuracy delivered by a bespoke audience measurement service that measures viewing as it occurs via an electronic meter is inherently a more robust measurement that a one-off question asked by telephone.”

Yesterday BARB said that ATR, the contractors supplying its data, have resolved the problems that led to the delay in the release of viewing figures earlier in the month and announced that data for the first eight days of January will be issued from Monday 4 February (see BARB Resolves Data Problem).

BARB: 020 7529 5531 www.barb.co.uk

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