Primetime Profi leSeptember 21, 2015 - September 18, 2016With Comparisons to the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 Seasons
Audience Insight 2016Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: PRIMETIME SEASON OVERVIEW
PART II: PRIMETIME SERIES BY GENRE
PART III: DAYTIME/ KIDS SEASON OVERVIEW
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE
FILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
1 ABOUT THIS BOOK
2 GLOSSARY
4 PRIMETIME RATINGS TREND BY WEEK; PRIMETIME HH RATINGS & STREAMS BY WEEK
5 PRIMETIME RATINGS TREND BY NIGHT; PRIMETIME AUDIENCE COMPOSITION
6 PRIMETIME HH RATINGS FOR TOP 30 NETWORKS
7 PBS VIEWER INDEX: BROADCAST AND CABLE
10 PRIMETIME SERIES RANKER: TV
11 PRIMETIME SERIES RANKERS: DIGITAL
12 PRIMETIME DELIVERY P2+ BY GENRE
13 THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW
14 AMERICAN MASTERS
15 PBS ARTS FESTIVAL
16 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER/GREAT PERFORMANCES
17 ARTS ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
19 CALL THE MIDWIFE/MERCY STREET
20 MASTERPIECE: ANTHOLOGY
21 MASTERPIECE: SERIES RANKER
22 DRAMA ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
23 NATURE
24 NOVA
25 SCIENCE ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
27 AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
28 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
29 FINDING YOUR ROOTS/GENEALOGY ROADSHOW
30 SECRETS OF THE DEAD/PERSONAL HISTORY ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
31 INDEPENDENT LENS
32 POV
33 FRONTLINE
34 PBS NEWSHOUR/PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND
35 CHARLIE ROSE THE WEEK/WASHINGTON WEEK
36 PUBLIC AFFAIRS ONE-OFFS/ELECTION COVERAGE
37 PROGRAM AUDIENCE AFFINITIES
38 POP OUTS
40 PRIMETIME AUDIENCE COMPOSITION BY SERIES
42 INDICES OF CONTRIBUTOR STATUS & CONSUMER BEHAVIORS
46 KIDS AUDIENCE COMPOSITION; KIDS SHARE OF VIEWING
47 KIDS STREAMING BY PROGRAM, BY PLATFORM
48 KIDS AUDIENCE COMPOSITION BY PROGRAM
50 U.S. POPULATION TRENDS; PRIMETIME TUNING INTO INTERNET DEVICES
51 TECHNOLOGY TRENDS; DAILY TIME SPENT USING MEDIA
MEDIA L ANDSCAPE
1
A MESSAGEFROM THE PBS BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE GROUP
Th e new PBS Business Intelligence Group is pleased to present the fi fth annual edition of the Audience
Insight report. Formed in July 2016, this group combines the previous Research, Digital Analytics
and Marketing Insights functions into a unifi ed team focused on providing audience insights across
platforms, tied directly to strategic and operational decision-making. While still providing many of the
same core services, the new group also aims to:
• Expand our ability to tackle larger strategic questions while supporting on-going reporting and
analyses for internal and external stakeholders.
• Broaden reporting & analysis to be more inclusive of cross-platform audience behavior and
develop a more holistic story around what that looks like for PBS.
• Continuously evaluate success metrics for PBS, its member stations and producers; expanding
upon reach, ratings and streams with new metrics to defi ne and understand PBS’s impact.
• Serve as thought leaders and industry experts to promote a culture of curiosity and data-driven decision making.
Below are the names and roles of our team members–many of whom contributed hours of hard work to
the publication of this book. Th ey look forward to working with you.
Karen BaileVP Strategy and Operations
Raj Bhansali - Senior Director, Program Analytics & Insights
Bill Merkel - Director, Program Analytics & Insights (GA)
Andrea Schutzman - Director, Program Analytics & Insights (KIDS)
Tim Bawcombe - Director (Nielsen Operations)
Sarah Terrill - Director, Program Analytics & Insights (GA)
Alena Malloy - Sponsorship & Production Support (GA)
Forest Lillibridge - Sr Associate, Program Analytics & Insights
Jeron Rhodes - Sr Associate, Program Analytics & Insights
Kate Alany - Director, Digital Analytics & Insights
Dan Haggerty - Director, Digital Analytics & Insights (Products, GA Operations)
Joe Miscavige - Director, Digital Analytics & Insights (KIDS)
Melissa Hill - Director, Digital Analytics & Insights (GA)
Amy Sample - Senior Director, Strategic Analytics & Insights
Susan Frazier - Director, Market Research
Eliza Jacobs - Associate Director, Market Research
Igor Meyerson - Associate Director, Strategic Analytics & Insights
Gale Malloy - Research Coordinator
PROGRAM ANALYTICS & INSIGHTS
DIGITAL ANALYTICS & INSIGHTS
STRATEGIC ANALYTICS & INSIGHTS
332
PART IPRIMETIME SEASON OVERVIEW
PBS’s Primetime audience ratings were relatively consistent year-over-year. While household levels dipped a minor 2%, the majority of top television networks experienced larger declines. Th e exceptions were NBC, which
benefi tted from the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the cable news networks which received boosts from presidential election coverage. PBS’s rank dropped to sixth, trailing the four major broadcasters and now Fox News, whose ratings increased by 20% to barely overtake PBS.
PBS experienced a 15% growth in digital streams. Streams trended very similarly
to the television audience each week-- with corresponding peaks and valleys
across the season--albeit with a slight lag.
Sundays continued to be the highest-rated night of the week this year, bolstered
by the fi nal, record-breaking season of Downton Abbey and the fi rst season
of the PBS-commissioned historical drama, Mercy Street. Mondays were the
second most-viewed night, but experienced slight declines. Friday nights had
the greatest gains fueled by several strong performances of musically-themed
American Masters episodes and Th e Great British Baking Show.
Th e composition of the PBS audience continues to skew older, more female and
more highly educated than the average Primetime viewer. Overall, PBS mirrors
the general Primetime TV viewer for affl uence. However those who contribute
to PBS tend to be even older, have higher incomes and have had more education.
Black households comprised a larger percentage of PBS’s Primetime viewing in
2015-2016, growing from 8% to 9% of audience.
With 20% of PBS’s Primetime viewing coming from homes with reception
to networks available only over-the-air, PBS viewers are more likely to view
programs on the four major broadcast networks. On cable, procedural dramas
continue to have the best performance among PBS Viewers.
GLOSSARY
SOURCES
MRI DEFINITIONS
Rating or AA (Average Audience) -- Percent of all TV households (or persons) watching during an average minute of a program or time period.
• Each 1.0 household rating point translates into 1,164,000 households watching in an average minute.
• Th e primetime rating includes tuning to all PBS stations, including multi-cast, during an average minute from Monday - Sunday,
8PM-11PM, plus all DVR playback within seven days.
Cume - Th e unduplicated viewers aged P2+ of a program or series.
Percentage of Primetime Cume - Of everyone aged 2+ that PBS reached in Primetime, this represents the percentage of that audience reached by
the program.
Stream – Any time a video starts playing. If the video includes a pre-roll, a stream is counted only after the pre-roll fi nishes.
Episode Streams – Episode streams are for original broadcasts only and include views for a four-week period after the broadcast TV air date.
Live+7 – Includes all playback on a DVR within 7 days of the program feed or original time period.
Non-Recent Viewers – Viewers 18+ of a program who had not watched any PBS station in the prior (non-Pledge) month.
Heavy Viewers – Viewers 18+ are divided into fi ve equal groups according to their time spent viewing PBS. Th e top 20%, who watch the most PBS,
are called Heavy Viewers.
Pop-Out – A Pop Out is a major focus for the PBS system with strong potential to draw in large audiences.
Contributor - An adult 18+ who self-reported through the MRI survey as having “made a contribution to PBS during the past 12 months.”
Arts - Th ose who attend classical music or opera performances.
Civic Engagement - A segment classifi ed by MRI through pyschographic statements as “Civic Advocates.” Members of this segment are likely to have
written something that was published, written an article for a magazine or newspaper, contacted media or similar behaviors.
Tech Enthusiasts - A segment which includes enthusiastic adopters and regular users of technology. In comparison to Tech-phobes, Tech-Splorers
and Tech-Gamers.
Financial Investments - Th ose who have any type of fi nancial investments totalling over $250,000.
Foreign Travel - Th ose who participate in any kind of foreign travel, whether for business or vacation.
Th e Nielsen Company
• All Nielsen data come from Nielsen’s national PeopleMeter sample for Live+7. Broadcast season dates: 9/21/2015 - 9/18/2016,
9/22/2014 - 9/20/2015, and 9/23/2013 - 9/21/2014.
• For cume data, a 50% unifi cation was used with a 6 minute qualifi er for persons aged 2+.
• For PBS Kids analysis (pages 44-49), television time period data are based on 7AM to 6PM, Monday-Friday viewing.
• For population and technology trends (pages 50-51), data are taken from the Nielsen Company “Universe Estimate Report”
(March 2016).
• For Primetime tuning to OTT devices (page 50), data are from the Nielsen Company NPower Live +7 M-Su 8PM-11PM, viewing
source = Internet Connected Devices.
• For Daily Time Spent Using Media (page 51), data are from the Nielsen Total Activity Report/Q1 2016.
Nielsen/MRI Fusion (pages 42-43) – Data rely on the fused datasets from Nielsen’s National People Meter Sample (PBS Heavy Viewers) and MRI’s
persons 18+ sample of respondents. Nielsen broadcast season plus MRI waves for October ‘15 - March ‘16 and April ‘15 - September ‘16.
Google Analytics – All streaming information from browser, mobile and OTT platforms for programs that aired during the Nielsen broadcast season.
554
Sundays remain the highest-rated, Friday night is growing
PBS PRIMETIME HH RATINGS TREND BY NIGHTWeekly ratings trend similarly for past 3 years
PBS PRIMETIME HH RATINGS TREND BY WEEK
PBS PRIMETIME AUDIENCE COMPOSITIONPBS Viewers and PBS Contributors skew female, older, and more-educated
2015-16 PRIMETIME HH RATINGS & STREAMS BY WEEKStreams trend like Broadcast, with a slight lag
Note: “Education” refers to the head of household and “income” refers to total household income.
KEY
PLEDGEPERIOD
2015-20162014-20152013-2014
KEY
2015-2016
Ratings
2015-2016
Streams
2013-2014 2015-20162014-2015
KEY
PR
IMET
IME
TV
V
IEW
ERS
PB
S P
RIM
E-TI
ME
CO
NTR
IBU
TOR
AA% ratings Streams
776 7
DASHBOARD PLUS OTA AND DVR
ARE WE KEEPING THIS???
PRIMETIME HH RATINGS FOR TOP 30 NETWORKSPBS now ranked #6, political coverage helped push Fox News ahead
HORIZONTAL BAR, ALL NETS OVER .10, DESCENDING ORDER
PBS VIEWER INDEX: WHAT PBS VIEWERS WATCH
HOW TO READTh e PBS Viewer Index is a calculation of the rating among PBS-viewing house-holds for the top 30 broadcast and cable programs with at least fi ve Primetime telecasts (with the obvious exception of one-off events like the Super Bowl and Oscars) relative to the rating among total U.S. TV households. An index above 100 means that PBS viewers are more likely to watch the program than the average TV household. Th e color-coding refl ects the PBS Viewer Index, where dark green means PBS viewers are more likely to view and dark pink means they are less likely to view than the average U.S. TV household. Th e size of the bubbles in these charts re-fl ects the size of the audience.
TOP 30 BROADCAST SERIES
DASHBOARD PLUS OTA AND DVR
ARE WE KEEPING THIS???
HORIZONTAL BAR, ALL NETS OVER .10, DESCENDING ORDER
TOP 30 CABLE SERIES
AVG. PBS INDEX TO HH
90.00 100.00 115.00
HOW TO USETh e “PBS Viewer Index” reveals whether PBS viewers are more or less likely to watch a program than the average TV viewer. Th e index also helps us identify areas of interest to our viewers, which can help with seeding program develop-ment and acquisition ideas.
Because PBS viewers are more likely to reside in broadcast-only homes, the broadcast chart contains more titles that over-index for PBS viewers (green). In fact almost all of the top-rated broad-cast programs have high PBS viewer indices, with the exception of Empire. Th e highest-indexing programs for PBS viewers are on CBS, with ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Castle and Modern Family being the rare exceptions to this affi nity for CBS.
PBS PRIMETIME RANK
TREND
2014-15 TO 2015-16 CHANGE
-25% +11%
HOW TO READPBS’s household rank among the top 30 networks dropped by one position, from #5 in 2014-2015 to #6 for this past season. However, it has remained consistent at #5 for viewers age 50-64.
998
PART IIPRIMETIME SERIES BY GENRE
PBS provides high-quality content that is relevant, educational, distinctive and
diverse, reaching large audiences. Overall, PBS reaches large audiences with
viewership to Arts, Public Aff airs and Independent Film programming, experience
growth year-over-year. Drama and Personal History — which includes Finding Your
Roots — both lost audience this season. Despite that, both genres continue to bring the
most viewers to PBS.
Drama programming has the most successful individual strands. Masterpiece reached
over 42 million Americans on television and was the highest-rated and most-streamed
series of the year. Th is past year had us saying “fare thee well” to Downton Abbey after
its sixth and fi nal season, and welcoming Mercy Street into the PBS Drama fold. Mercy
Street posted strong television and streaming fi gures for its inaugural run.
Americans also turned to PBS for election coverage. PBS NewsHour’s extensive coverage
of the Democratic National Convention reached over 15 million viewers as did its cover-
age for the Republican National Convention. Over a third of DNC and RNC viewers were
new to PBS. PBS NewsHour also was the second-most streamed show of the season on
PBS digital platforms.
Shows with promotional support brought in new or “non-recent” viewers. A third of
Downtown Abbey’s season premiere audience were non-recent viewers of primetime PBS
programming. Jackie Robinson and Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution not only
had 29% of their audience being non-recent to PBS, but they also drove strong ratings
among Black households.
Among PBS’s on-going series, Th e Great British Baking Show, Frontline and Independent
Lens had the youngest audiences. Call the Midwife’s audience was the most affl uent, and
PBS NewsHour viewers were the most highly-educated.
Heavy viewers of on-going PBS series have been shown to be more likely to contribute
to their local PBS stations. Viewers of POV and Washington Week lead the way in terms
of the proportion of viewers who give to PBS. In general, PBS heavy viewers are largely
interested in the Arts, and heavy viewers of Call the Midwife index the highest in this
regard. Heavy viewers are also well-off fi nancially with POV and American Experience
having the largest percentage of their audiences with fi nancial investments over $250K.
1110
PBS PRIMETIME* SERIES RANKERS: DIGITALPBS PRIMETIME* SERIES RANKER: TVMasterpiece continues to be the most-watched broadcast series
* PRIMETIME SERIES WITH AT LEAST SIX EPISODES THIS SEASON, PLUS PBS NEWSHOUR. AVERAGES INCLUDE ALL ORIGINAL BROADCASTS. SE-
RIES THAT ARE EXPECTED TO AIR ONLY IN 2015-2016 ARE EXCLUDED. MISSING BARS INDICATE THAT THE SERIES WAS NOT IN THE SCHEDULE
THAT SEASON.
Total streams per program, 3 year trend (000)
*STREAMING REFLECTS ACTIVITY ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS (BROWSER, MOBILE, AND OTT). STREAMING WINDOWS VARY; FOR MOST
NEWS CONTENT, STREAMING AVAILABILITY IS UNLIMITED. FOR DRAMA, THE STREAMING WINDOW IS TWO WEEKS. FOR ALL OTHER
GENRES, A FOUR WEEK WINDOW GENERALLY APPLIES.
2013-2014 2015-20162014-2015
KEY
2013-2014 2015-20162014-2015
KEY
Worth Noting
• Many of PBS’s top performing returning series lost
ground, season-over-season.
• Notable exceptions include the third season of Find-
ing Your Roots, and better performances by long-
standing news programs such as PBS NewsHour and
Washington Week.
• Primetime signature series like Nature and NOVA
continued to post strong ratings, as both featured
some of their best performing one-off s and mini-
series in recent seasons.
Average streams per episode, 2015-2016 (000)
HOW TO READTh e total streams per program ranker (to the left) shows the total number of times full episodes or clips from each of the series were streamed for each of the last three seasons. Th e average streams per episode ranker (below) takes into account that some series comprise more episodes than others, dividing the total number of streams for each series during the 2015-2016 seasons by the number of episodes.
On a per episode basis, dramas like Masterpiece and Call the Midwife rise to the top of the list, with history titles like American Experience and Finding Your Roots close be-hind. On a total streams trend basis, the PBS NewsHour and Frontline are among the top ranked with both at their highest levels of online viewership. Overall, PBS digital streams grew by 15%, eclipsing 150 millions views.
1312
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
+CONTRUBUTOR INDEX BADGE
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
Cume (000)
10,876
Percent of Primetime
Cume
7.5%
Worth Noting
• While Th e Great British Baking Show’s third season may
have appeared to under-perform its second, that was hard-
ly the whole story. Moving Th e Great British Baking Show
from Sundays at 7PM to Fridays in Primetime helped
drive Friday night’s ratings growth.
• Th e program attracted PBS’s youngest audience in Prime-
time (median age 60) and was one of the most-streamed
series, week-after-week.
PBS PRIMETIME* DELIVERY P2+ (000) BY GENREPersonal History and Drama have the largest audience. Arts, News, and Indie Film saw the largest growth
*NEWS/PUBLIC AFFAIRS AVERAGE INCLUDES PBS NEWSHOUR.
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS*
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEGREAT BRITISH BAKING VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 17
*Ratings not available for 2013-14
2013-2014 2015-20162014-2015
KEY
1514
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
+CONTRUBUTOR INDEX BADGE
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TSSC
IENC
E/NA
TUR
ED
RA
MA
PER
SON
AL H
ISTOR
YIN
DIE FILM
PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
AR
TS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
Worth Noting
• Th e premiere telecast of Andrea Bocelli’s symphonic
salute to the movies (“Cinema”) was the highest
rated PBS Arts program in over four years.
• Th e arts audience has a slightly higher concentration
of college-educated viewers and noticeably larger
representation of higher-income homes.
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Worth Noting
• American Masters had its best season in three years,
and this was due to strong performances across its
eight, widely-diverse telecasts.
• Six of its premiere episodes posted a household rat-
ing above a 1.0, compared to just two episodes last
season. Persons 2+ reach increased by 18% despite
having one fewer original broadcast telecast.
Cume (000)
6,190
Percent of Primetime
Cume
4.3%
Cume (000)
13,843
Percent of Primetime
Cume
9.6%
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEPBS ARTS FESTIVAL VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEAMERICAN MASTERS VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
1716
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TSSC
IENC
E/NA
TUR
ED
RA
MA
PER
SON
AL H
ISTOR
YIN
DIE FILM
PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
AR
TS
Cume (000)
6,897
Percent of Primetime
Cume
4.8%
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Cume (000)
7,111
Percent of Primetime
Cume
4.9%
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ANNUAL EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: MULTI-PART SERIES & EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ONE-OFF EVENTS
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
1918
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMSC
IENC
E & N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS*
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
Cume (000)
10,718
Percent of Primetime
Cume
7.4%
Cume (000)
13,232
Percent of Primetime
Cume
9.2%
Worth Noting
• Call the Midwife closed its most recent season down 5% in
household ratings, but the program has delivered steady,
above-primetime-average ratings, year-over-year in its Sun-
day 8 pm time slot.
• Th e program returns for a sixth season in spring 2017.
Worth Noting
• Among recent fi rst-season PBS dramas, Mercy Street ratings
ranked near the top and reached over 13 million total viewers
during its six-week run.
• Mercy Street averaged 4.9 million viewers per episode.
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODECALL THE MIDWIFE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEMERCY STREET VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
*Ratings only available for 2015-16
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
2120
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMSC
IENC
E & N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
Worth Noting
• Downton Abbey’s sixth and fi nal season
was its best, averaging an 8.96 household
rating over nine episodes and reaching a
record 26.4 million viewers.
• Downton Abbey, season six, also became
PBS’s top-rated series of all time, displac-
ing Ken Burns’ Th e Civil War from 1990
(8.70 HH).
THREE YEAR TREND: ANTHOLOGYHH AND DEMO RATINGS
Cume (000)
42,218
Percent of Primetime
Cume
29.2%
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
2015-2016: SERIES RANKERHH AND DEMO RATINGS
6.07
5.47
5.08
IMPACT OF REPEAT TO DOWNTON ABBEYHH AND DEMO RATINGS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEMASTERPIECE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
2322
Worth Noting
• Nature was the highest-rated Wednesday night natural
history series in 2015-2016.
• Nature’s three-part “Natural Born Hustlers” was the
highest-rated multi-episode PBS nature doc of the past
three seasons and ranked #1 among key adult demos,
kids 2-11, and in Black households, averaging 300K per
telecast.
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMSC
IENC
E & N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
Cume (000)
36,640
Percent of Primetime
Cume
25.4%
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ANNUAL EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: MULTI-PART SERIES & EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ONE-OFF EVENTS
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODENATURE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 16
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
2524 25
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
+CONTRUBUTOR INDEX BADGE
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Cume (000)
40,286
Percent of Primetime
Cume
27.9%
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: MULTI-PART SERIES & EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ONE-OFF EVENTS
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODENOVA VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 23
*Note: Does not include streams of NOVA scienceNow and Nova Labs.
Worth Noting
• Th e three-part NOVA miniseries “Making North America”
put up strong numbers each week and averaged a 2.38
household rating, 25% above the season-long norm.
• NOVA was streamed over 7.5 million times during the
season*.
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
2726
Worth Noting
• American Experience’s eight new programs played a
key role in helping Tuesday nights sustain ratings,
with just one premiere telecast falling below the PBS
Primetime average.
• 120-minute episodes like “Th e Pilgrims” and “Mur-
der of a President” were standouts from a multi-
platform perspective, each reaching nearly 4 million
viewers 2+ on broadcast and topping the list for
online streams.
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMSC
IENC
E & N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
Cume (000)
24,999
Percent of Primetime
Cume
17.3%
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEAMERICAN EXPERIENCE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
2928
NEW
S/P
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SIN
DIE
FIL
MSC
IEN
CE
& N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HIS
TOR
Y/I
DEN
TIT
YN
EWS/P
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SIN
DIE FILM
SCIEN
CE &
NA
TUR
EA
RTS
DR
AM
AH
ISTOR
Y/ID
ENTIT
Y
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
+CONTRUBUTOR INDEX BADGE
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Worth Noting
• Antiques Roadshow began the season airing origi-
nals at 9 pm, which yielded lower ratings.
• After returning to 8 pm in January, the rest of
the season was nearly on par with 2014-15, aver-
aging 2.93 HH.
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS*
Cume (000)
51,035
Percent of Primetime
Cume
35.4%
Cume (000)
16,699
Percent of Primetime
Cume
11.6%
Cume (000)
9,210
Percent of Primetime
Cume
6.4%
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEANTIQUES ROADSHOW VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 31
*Ratings not available for 2013-14
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
3130
NEW
S/P
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SIN
DIE
FIL
MSC
IEN
CE
& N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HIS
TOR
Y/I
DEN
TIT
Y
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMSC
IENC
E & N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Cume (000)
16,609
Percent of Primetime
Cume
5.6%
Cume (000)
12,716
Percent of Primetime
Cume
8.8%
ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: MULTI-PART SERIES AND EVENTS
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ONE-OFF EVENTS Worth Noting
• 21 new fi lms appeared under the Independent Lens
umbrella in 2015-16, up from 17 in the prior year,
with slight growth in household ratings.
• Ratings in Black households increased 55%, driven
by “Th e Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”.
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEINDEPENDENT LENS VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 21
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
3332
NEW
S/PU
BLIC
AFFA
IRS
IND
IE FILMEX
PLO
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HISTO
RY
/IDEN
TITY
NEW
S/P
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SIN
DIE
FIL
MEX
PLO
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HIS
TOR
Y/I
DEN
TIT
YTHREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
VERTICAL BAR
AA BY HH AND DEMOS
THREE SEASONS
+CONTRUBUTOR INDEX BADGE
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
Worth Noting
• PBS’s commitment to independent fi lm remained
strong in 2015-16, with 10 new fi lms and nearly 15
hours of content airing under the POV nameplate.
• Together, the two indie fi lm strands reached 19 mil-
lion persons 2+ (6.5% of the US) and nearly three
million (18%) Black households.
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST EPISODES
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
Cume (000)
5,848
Percent of Primetime
Cume
2.0%
Cume (000)
21,872
Percent of Primetime
Cume
15.2%
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEPOV VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEFRONTLINE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
Worth Noting
• While ratings fell 12% from the previous season, Front-
line’s streams increased by 27% to over 12 million.
• “Supplements and Safety” and “Netanyahu at War”
ranked highest, each delivering more than 1.8 million
average viewers. “Saudi Arabia Uncovered” and “Chasing
Heroin” earned the largest online traffi c, well ahead of
the series’ 180K streams per-episode average this season.
TOTAL NUMBER OF EPISODES: 18
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
3534
SCIEN
CE/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L HISTO
RY
IND
IE FILMP
UB
LIC A
FFAIR
SA
RTS
NEW
S/P
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SIN
DIE
FIL
MEX
PLO
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HIS
TOR
Y/I
DEN
TIT
Y
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
THREE YEAR TRENDHH AND DEMO RATINGS
Worth Noting
• Th ough overall ratings were down slightly, unique viewers of Char-
lie Rose: Th e Week remained steady at nearly 10.5 million persons
2+ for the season.
• Th e ratings drop was a function of both lower frequency and fewer
minutes; both of these key measures fell by 6% for the year.
Cume (000)
10,467
Percent of Primetime
Cume
7.3%
Worth Noting• PBS NewsHour ratings and streams surged in 2015-16, with streams growing by 90% year-over-year to 13.2
million. Th is was no doubt urged upward by the election cycle and political climate.
• While overall reach grew just 3% for the season, viewers watched more often and for longer periods. Aver-
age episodes viewed grew from 7 to nearly 8, and average minutes per viewer increased 16%.
3535
Worth Noting
• Washington Week’s season was the top-rated of the last three
broadcast years, coming in at 0.62 household, up 9%. P65+ rat-
ings climbed 15% year-over-year.
• Th e most-watched episode of Washington Week aired on the Friday
(July 22nd) between the Republican and Democratic National
Conventions, averaging 1.23 million viewers.
Cume (000)
13,369
Percent of Primetime
Cume
9.3%
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
KEY
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODENEWSHOUR VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODECHARLIE ROSE VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
AVERAGE STREAMS PER EPISODEWASHINGTON WEEK VS. ALL PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
Cume (000)
43,114
Cume (000)
15,701
SCIE
NC
E/N
ATU
RE
DR
AM
AP
ERSO
NA
L H
ISTO
RY
IND
IE F
ILM
PU
BLI
C A
FFA
IRS
AR
TS
3736
NEW
S/P
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SIN
DIE
FIL
MSC
IEN
CE
& N
ATU
RE
AR
TSD
RA
MA
HIS
TOR
Y/I
DEN
TIT
YSC
IEN
CE/
NA
TUR
ED
RA
MA
PER
SON
AL
HIS
TOR
YIN
DIE
FIL
MP
UB
LIC
AFF
AIR
SA
RTS
PROGRAM AUDIENCE AFFINITIES
HOW TO USEMarketing professionals have used this information to guide program cross-promotion, and development staff s have found it valuable for crafting direct mail copy or pledge scripts. Th is program affi nity chart is also helpful for understanding whether programs sched-
uled for fl ow have indeed achieved the intended audience overlap. It can also help identify two programs, not currently scheduled together, that have affi nity and might make a good pairing in the future or once a past title has become available for local acquisition.
ONE-OFFS & LIMITED SERIES
ELECTION COVERAGE 2016
TOP-RATED 2015-16 ORIGINAL BROADCAST: ONE-OFF EVENTS
HOW TO READTo be read across, starting in the upper left of the chart: “Of all the households that watched American Masters, 20% also watched American Experience during weeks when both pro-grams aired.”
KEY
0-10% 10-20% 20+%
When two programs never aired within the same week, a gray box is shown.
HOUSEHOLD AND DEMO RATINGS FOR MAJOR CAMPAIGN EVENTS
RATINGS PER NIGHT: NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
CUMULATIVE AUDIENCE: NATIONAL CONVENTIONS (000)
3938
POP-OUT VIEWERS* POP-OUT AUDIENCE COMPOSITIONINDIAN SUMMERS
DOWNTON ABBEY
MAKING NORTH AMERICA
THE BLACK PANTHERS
JACKIE ROBINSON
PBS ARTS: UNITY
PREMIERE DATE: 9/27/2015
PREMIERE DATE: 1/03/2016
PREMIERE DATE: 11/4/2015
PREMIERE DATE: 2/16/2016
PREMIERE DATE: 4/11/2016
PREMIERE DATE: 10/9/2015
* AUDIENCE DATA ARE FOR THE PREMIERE EPISODE ONLY.
4140
PBS PRIMETIME AUDIENCE COMPOSITION BY SERIES
4342
INDICES OF CONTRIBUTOR STATUS & CONSUMER BEHAVIORS
Arts
Civic
Engagement
Tech
Enthusiasts
Financial
Investments
(over $250K)
Foreign
Travel
1.8x3.0x2.0x
2.0x
3.1x
1.0x
1.9x 197
1.7x
143
193
1.3x
22.0x 193 1.9x
170 22.0x
159 184
1.8x
0 - 1x 1x - 2x
KEY
2x and over
1.4x195
496
2.2x
1.2x
HOW TO READTh is chart is based on the fusion of Nielsen audience information for PBS viewers 18+ and MRI data for adults 18+. Th e indices show how the heaviest viewers of each PBS series compare to all heavy Primetime TV viewers age 18+ on a variety of attributes including (on a self-reported basis) having made a contribution to PBS within the last twelve months. To be read across, starting in the upper left of the chart: “Call the Midwife has an Arts Index of 2.2, meaning that heavy viewers of Great British Baking are more than twice as likely than all US heavy Primetime viewers to have attended classical music or opera performances.”
HOW TO USEAmong other things, the selected attributes help to illustrate the qualitative diff erences between PBS viewers and viewers of other programming, help-ing to make a case, beyond the ratings, for sponsoring PBS shows. For example, if a travel-related business were interested in local sponsorship around a national series, shows like Masterpiece and Mercy Street might be good options, since their viewers index the highest for foreign travel. Th e largest indices for people who attend classical music or opera performances are found with American Masters and Call the Midwife, suggesting that these might be good choices for prospective sponsors in the arts sector. On the other hand, an investment company looking for viewers with high net worths could conceivably consider just about any PBS primetime series, since all over-index for viewers with investments in excess of $250K. What opportunities do you see when you study this chart?
1.2x
1.6x
0.8x
1.6x 1.4x
221
Contributor
1x
1.2x
1.4x
1.4x
2x
1.2x
1.3x
1.2x
2x
1.4x
1.1x
2.4x
1.4x
1.4x
1.2x
1.0x
1.7x
1.7x 1.8x
1.2x1.9x
1.3x
1.3x
1.0x
2x
1.8x
1.8x
1.5x
1.2x
1.6x
1.7x
1.7x
1.9x
1.6x
1.4x
1.7x
1.9x
1.1x
1.2x
1x
1x
0.7x
1.7x
1.3x
1.2x
1.2x
1.3x
1.2x
1.4x
1.2x
1.3x
1.3x
1.1x
1.5x
1.4x
1.4x
1.3x
1.3x
1x
1.3x
1.4x
1.1x
1.1x
1.2x
0.6x
1.4x
1.3x
1x
1.3x
1.2x
0.5x
1x
1x
1x
1.1x
0.5x
1.3x
1.2x
1x
1.3x
1.4x
00.9x
1.3x
1x
1.2x
1.4x
1x
1.9x
1.9x
1.7x
1.4x
1.7x
1.5x
2.2x1.6x
1.6x
1.2x
1.3x
1.7x
00.9x
2.2x
1.6x
1.6x
1.4x
00.9x
4544
PART IIIDAYTIME KIDS SEASON OVERVIEW
Children’s media consumption patterns continue to evolve with traditional
television viewing continuing to be the most popular option for viewing
content. As children view more content online, over-the-top, or on mobile
devices, television viewing has eroded. To keep up with the changing environment,
PBS KIDS programs are available on many platforms, including OTT and mobile.
During the 2015-2016 season, the PBS KIDS team successfully launched Nature Cat
and Ready Jet Go!, expanding our slate of entertaining and educational programming
targeted to children aged 2-8 years old. Th ese series fi t well with the existing
television lineup. However to make room in the daytime grid, several back-to-back
strips of our most popular series were removed. Fewer double-strips, coupled with
the declining reach of television, resulted in a 26% ratings decline from last season.
With many viewing options on TV, PBS maintained a 5% share of the weekday
audience for Kids 2-8. Altogether, PBS and kid’s cable networks accounted for 39%
of TV viewing. Th e shifting landscape was evident with OTT accounting for 7% of
weekday TV time, up from 4% the prior season.
Of the PBS weekday audience, nearly one-third of the children watching PBS
weekdays were Hispanic, and a third received their television via an over-the-air
signal. For a full breakdown of the PBS KIDS TV audience across many segments,
refer to the chart on pages 48-49.
On digital platforms, PBS KIDS content saw slight declines in streaming from
the previous year. Th is wasinfl uenced by measurements changes (removing the
contribution of auto-played content) as well as moving from 11 minute episodes
to 22 minute episodes. While this has led to fewer streams, it has increased
engagement.
KIDS 2-8 RATINGS: PBS AND OTHER NETWORKS
2014-15 TO 2015-16 CHANGE
-40% +40%
Color bars indicate ranges of percent change over the previous season’s Kids
2-8 average audience rating.
PBS KIDS and most networks are down, driven by an overall decline in children’s traditional TV viewing
4746
PBS KIDS SHARE OF M-F DAYTIME VIEWING: K2-8
PBS KIDS STREAMING BY PROGRAM (000)WEEKDAY DAYTIME TV AUDIENCE COMPOSITIONPBS KIDS viewing skews low-income and broadcast only
PBS KIDS STREAMING BY PLATFORMOTT growth is coming at the expense of PBS KIDS and the children’s cable networks Majority of PBS KIDS streams come from mobile devices
PBS KIDS streams are down, but still over 4.3 billion
TOTA
L U
S T
V
VIE
WER
S 2+
TV
VIE
WER
S IN
H
H W
/ C
HIL
D
UN
DER
6
PB
S V
IEW
ERS
IN H
H W
/ C
HIL
D
UN
DER
6
MOBILE DESKTOP OTT
KEY
KEY
2014-2015 2015-20162013-2014
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Total: 18.50
Total: 17.39Total: 17.09
4948
PBS KIDS AUDIENCE COMPOSITION BY PROGRAM
HOW TO READAmong Kids 2-8, 42% of the PBS KIDS viewing is done by children in homes with an annual income of less than $40,000
5150
U.S. POPULATION TRENDS TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
DAILY TIME SPENT USING MEDIAPRIMETIME TUNING TO OTT DEVICES
MED
IA L
AN
DSC
AP
E MED
IA LA
ND
SCA
PE
PERSONS 18+
Nielsen measurement of tuning to OTT did not begin until March 2014
Worth Noting
• Th e TV population stayed unchanged at 116.4 million households. Th e composition of these households has become
slightly more diverse and increasingly composed of Adults 65+, which saw the largest gains year-over-year.
• With more homes having access to OTT devices, more persons are using this technology to view TV in Primetime. Th e
growth is occurring across all age groups, with the largest growth in viewing among Adults 35-54.
Worth Noting
• According to the Nielsen Company, there has been a change in how homes receive television, with fewer cable/satellite
homes than before and more broadcast-only (over-the-air) and broadband only (internet viewing via TV or monitor)
homes. Homes are increasingly adding viewing devices (such as OTT) and subscription viewing services (such as Netfl ix).
• More devices mean more opportunity to consume media. And with that, media consumption has increased to over 8
hours a day. Live TV viewing declines have tapered off , losing only 3 minutes versus the prior period.
Data for SVOD not available for 2013-2014
2013-2014 2015-20162014-2015
KEY
Audience Insight 2016
Th is is the fi fth edition of the Audience Insight report, designed to provide Public Television leaders--from programmers and general managers to marketers and development professionals--with a detailed overview of how PBS’s National Program Service performed in the most recently completed television season and who’s in our audience.
Th is book covers a 52-week period beginning on September 21, 2015 and ending September 18, 2016. It provides three-year trends on some of the most important metrics. Th e report also includes information about the competitive landscape as well as trends in the U.S. population and media usage.
New in this year’s edition:
More information about PBS’s performance on digital platforms. Analytic callouts throughout the book (labeled “Worth Noting”) to
provide helpful context or highlight key data points. Cumulative television audience data (“Cume”) for each on-going series. More information on the individual series within the Masterpiece
anthology.
A wrap-up on PBS’s 2016 election coverage.
Booklet designed and produced by City Square Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, Version 1.0
For a downloadable PDF of the book, go to:MyPBS.org / Programming / Research / Audience Insights
For additional copies contact:Gale Malloy, [email protected]
For more information on Program Analytics & Insights at PBS, contact:Raj Bhansali, [email protected]