Channel Repertoires: Using Peoplemeter Data in Beijing

Abstract

Channel repertoires, the subsets of available channels that viewers actually watch, have typically been measured by relying on respondent recall. Using minute-by-minute peoplemeter data from Beijing, this study operationalized channel repertoire as the channels actually watched for 10 or more consecutive minutes during the week. On average, Chinese viewers used 13 channels, about one third of those available. Older network and local channels accounted for most of the time spent viewing. A regression model was established in which total time spent viewing TV and cable subscription explained 65% of the total variance in repertoire size.