I grew up in the TV business, starting out as in intern and working through the ranks to become a writer, and eventually an Executive Producer. I have seen the changes and for the most part they are more interesting than the actual content we see on the screen.
In my day, we had three measurements that were the Holy Grail. These were significant markings that every producer waited anxiously for on the morning after the first airing.
They were:
- Rating
- Share
- Hut Level
The Rating was a hard and fast number that told you the number of actual viewers watching your program.
The Share was the percentage of people who were watching TV who were watching your show.
The Hut Level was the number of households watching TV at the time your show was on.
A much simpler time, indeed.
