What is a rating and a share?
The terms rating and share are basic to the television industry. Both are percentages. A rating is a percent of the universe that is being measured, most commonly discussed as a percent of all television households. As such, a rating is always quantifiable, assuming you know the size of the universe (TV households, persons, women 18 34, and so forth). A share is the percent of households or persons using television at the time the program is airing and who are watching a particular program. Thus, a share does not immediately tie back to an actual number, because it is a percent of a constantly changing number TV sets in use. Shares can be useful as a gauge of competitive standing.
