BARB

BARB stands for 'Broadcasters audience research board'. The word 'broadcasting' implies a 'mass' audience. You can use BARB to look at how many people tune in to different programmes and radio stations and to identify where the 'mass' audiences are. Here is figures from a monthly basis taken on the most watched channels.

BARB is responsible for providing estimates of the number of people watching television. This includes which channels and programmes are being watched, when they are watched and the type of people who are viewing at any one time. Viewing data is collected second-by-second and delivered on a minute-by-minute basis for channels received within the UK. The channel viewed the longest in a clock minute is attributed the viewing of that minute. Viewing at anything other than normal speed (fast forwarding/rewinding live or recorded content) is not reported. The data is available for reporting nationally and at ITV and BBC regional level.

Channels reported by BARB provide timings of the programmes and commercials they broadcast. The records that this produces are then matched to the minute-by-minute viewing data to produce the BARB official audience viewing estimates for each individual programme and commercial.