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The Panel is an appropriate number of households selected on the basis of a statistical design to
represent the most important population statistic.
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The panel is a statistical sample of the universe to be measured and refers to an appropriate number of
families / homes which accept the installation of the peoplemeter on all the TV sets in their home.
These homes provide the statistical estimates of television viewing upon which the TAM data is based.
The TV ratings panel is a panel of households from which individual TV viewing data is extracted. The peoplemeter
allows each individual and their guests to register their viewing by means of a dedicated remote control,
thus creating a database of viewing behaviour for each individual.
The size of the panel is a decision taken between Nielsen and their clients to ensure the most
efficient panel for gathering the TAM data required by each local market. There is no formula for the
calculation of the ideal panel size, but the size of the panel will affect the number of 'target groups',
which can be produced, and the statistical error of each of these target groups.
Based upon the results of the Establishment Survey, each household interviewed is classified into
cells based upon family size, ownership of TV equipment and geographic region. Other variables may be used in
local markets based on local conditions, which may affect the representation of the TV audience.
The panel design is then constructed, based upon the number of households in each cell. In certain markets,
a decision may be taken to over or under represent certain cells and to over-sample within the panel.
A Nielsen technician visits households that agree to become members of the panel and installs a peoplemeter
on all the TV sets in the home. Full support - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - is provided to the household.
