TVM and Bay Radio hold top spots in latest audience ratings

The Broadcasting Authority’s audience assessment in February 2016 revealed that the average amount of hours that TV viewers spent watching television, amounted to 1.83 hours every day – just 9 minutes less than that of the previous assessment during the month of October 2015 [1.98hrs] and 9 minutes less than that registered for the same period last year in February 2015 [1.98hrs]. 

Over the whole population aged 12 years and over the national average for TV viewing stood at 1.23hrs every person.

An average of 189,700 persons, or 48.9% of the population aged 12 years and over, stated that they had listened to radio while an average of 241,300 persons [62.2%] followed at least one TV station during this month.

Data was collected by the National Statistics Office during the month of October and 50.7% of all contacted persons accepted to participate.  A sample of 1,160 was collected with the youngest interviewed being 12 years old while the eldest person contacted was 90 years old.

Audience reach

TVM remains the most popular station with 39.1% followed by ONE [14.2%] and Net TV [10.7%].  Overall 68.5% of all viewers followed a local station while the other 31.5% followed a foreign station with Canale 5 [4.8%], Rai 1 [4.7%] and Italia 1 [3.4%] being the most popular stations.

As in other previous surveys, TV audiences tend to peak between 7:30pm and 10:00pm

TV preferences

The study also investigated the most popular television programmes as indicated by respondents.  A total of 91 programmes were named by respondents.  Drama programmes seem the most popular with 57.9% of all preferences followed by News [12.4%], and Discussion programmes [8.6%].

Out of all the programmes mentioned by respondents TVM obtained 72.7% of all counts, followed by ONE with 12.5% and Net TV with 11.3%.

The most quoted programmes were: Strada Stretta on TVM with 14.2%.

The top ten programmes most quoted constituted 78.9% of all preferences.

Radio Audiences

Bay Radio remains the most popular station with 25.3% of all radio listeners followed by ONE Radio [12.7%] and Radju Malta [8.8%].  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 2.49hrs each listening to their favourite radio station.  This was 0.26hrs [16 minutes] lower than that registered for the same month last year in February 2015 [2.75hrs] and was 0.35hrs [21 minutes] less than that registered for the previous assessment period of October 2015 [2.84hrs]. 

On a national basis over the whole of the population aged 12 years and over, the national average of radio listening amounts to 1.22hrs 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 1.67hrs tuned in to the station whereas ONE Radio listeners spend 3.62hrs.