Television Rating (TVR)
Share of all potential viewers watching a particular programme.
Formula
Variables
Example
3M viewers of a 30M TV population → TVR = 10
How it works
Television Rating (TVR) measures what percentage of the total available TV audience watched a specific programme. It works by comparing the number of viewers for that programme to the whole TV population, then multiplying by 100 to convert the fraction into a percentage. This makes it easy to compare programmes of different sizes or across different markets.
When to use it
Use TVR when analysing how popular a programme is relative to the total audience it could have reached. It is commonly used in broadcasting, advertising, and media planning to compare shows, timeslots, or campaign performance.
Worked example, step by step
Suppose 2.4 million people watched a programme. The total TV population is 20 million. TVR = (Viewers of a programme / Total TV population) × 100 TVR = (2.4 million / 20 million) × 100 TVR = 0.12 × 100 TVR = 12 So, the television rating is 12% (or 12 TVR).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using only the number of people who watched instead of dividing by the total TV population
- Forgetting to multiply by 100, which leaves the answer as a decimal rather than a percentage
- Mixing up TVR with audience share, which compares viewers only against people watching TV at that moment
Did You Know?
A single national TVR point can represent millions of viewers in big markets.
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More in Media & Data
View allGross Rating Points (GRP)
IntermediateTotal advertising weight of a campaign against the whole audience.
Target Rating Points (TRP)
IntermediateAdvertising weight counted only within the specific target audience.
Cost Per Mille (CPM)
BasicThe cost of reaching one thousand impressions.
Cost Per Rating Point (CPP)
IntermediateHow much it costs to buy one rating point of audience.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
BasicPercentage of ad views that result in a click.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
BasicAverage amount paid for each click on an ad.