Release: Immediate
Date: 14 September 2016
PR 06/16
TV-VIEWING UPHELD DURING THE SUMMER BROADCASTING SEASON
The Broadcasting Authority has just released its latest study on audience assessment for July 2016.
The latest survey reveals that the average amount of hours that TV viewers spent watching television amounts to 1.80hrs every day. This was just 2 minutes less than that of the previous assessment during the month of February 2015 [1.83hrs] and was also just 5 minutes less than that registered for the same period last year in July 2015 [1.89hrs].
Over the whole population aged 12 years and over the national average for TV viewing stood at 0.97hrs every person.
During the month of July, an average of 198,400 persons, or 50.8% of the population aged 12 years and over, stated that they had listened to radio while an average of 194,000 persons [49.7%] followed at least one TV station during this month.
Data was collected by the National Statistics Office during the month of July and 35.75% of all contacted persons accepted to participate. A sample of 1,240 was collected with the youngest interviewed being 12 years old while the eldest person contacted was 92 years old.
TV Audience Reach
TVM remains the most popular station with 36.6%, followed by ONE [18.1%], and Net TV [8.1%]. Overall 66.2% of all viewers followed a local station while the other 33.8% followed a foreign station with Canale 5 [5.2%], Rai 1 [4.1%] and Italia 1 [3.2%] being the most popular stations.
As in other previous surveys, TV audiences tend to peak between 7:30pm and 10:00pm
TV Programme Preferences
The study also investigated the most popular television programmes as indicated by respondents. A total of 100 programmes were named by respondents. Drama programmes seem the most popular with 42.4% of all preferences followed by News [17.3%], and Discussion programmes [7.9%].
Out of all the programmes mentioned by respondents TVM obtained 61.6% of all counts, followed by ONE with 23.6% and Net TV with 10.4%.
The three most quoted programmes were: TVM News [10.2%]; followed by Äaqqufa on TVM [9.5%], followed by Strada Stretta [TVM, 9.1%] and Katrina [TVM, 8.4%].
The top ten programmes most quoted constituted 72.3% of all preferences.
Radio Audiences
Bay Radio remains the most popular station with 25.7% of all radio listeners followed by ONE Radio [16.7%] and Radju Malta [9.6%]. Bay Radio is popular with those under the age of 50 whereas ONE Radio is popular with those who are above the age of 50.
On average radio listeners spent a total of 3.04hrs each listening to their favourite radio station. This was 0.24hrs [14 minutes] higher than that registered for the same month last year in July 2015 [2.80hrs] and was 0.55hrs [33 minutes] higher than that registered for the previous assessment period of February 2016 [2.49hrs].
On a national basis over the whole of the population aged 12 years and over, the national average of radio listening amounts to 1.52hrs every person.
Computing audience shares by the amount of time that radio listeners have spent following each particular station, the results reveal that while Bay Radio is the most popular station in Malta, its listeners spend an average of 2.47hrs tuned in to the station whereas ONE Radio listeners spend 4.07hrs.
The full version of the results of the survey can be downloaded from the Authority’s website: http://ba-malta.org/audience-assessments
Attachments: Graphs for Radio Reach and Television Reach.
For further information please contact:
Mario Axiak, M.B.A (Maastricht)
Head, Research & Communications
Tel: +356 2122 1281
info.ba@ba.org.mt
RADIO AND TELEVISION REACH DURING JULY 2016
