The Internet and poor quality TV offerings pull ratings down

According to rating studies conducted by the Romanian Association for Audience Measurement (ARMA), the number of TV viewers is dropping every month.

While in January the average daily rating for all TV stations in urban areas was 1.74 million viewers, September ratings dropped to 1.22 million.

An increasingly lower audience is divided differently month on month, with TV stations also registering lower market shares. Market congestion has led to a drop in generalist television market shares. According to ARMA President, Lucia Romaniuc, the phenomenon is normal within the context of market fragmentation occurring in

Romania, whose case is particular in the region. It is the market with the largest number of TV stations, which leads to a greater division of potential public audiences and lower market shares. In September, PRO TV, the main Romanian TV station according to market share and ratings, had a daily average of 15 percent. At the beginning of the year, its share was 18 percent.

“Some numbers suggest that this migration is beneficial to niche televisions. But the sum of rating gains for such stations, often calculated outside prime time, is not equal to that of losses,” said Coman.

Aside from market congestion and large number of channels, other variables related to the public consumption habits must be taken into account. “There has been a rise in the share of younger viewers, who have access to new technologies, and it is possible that massive shares of losses experienced by TVs are gains for the internet and internet specific content, or digital versions of TV programs,” added Coman.

Studies show that a general drop in TV consumption might be due to Romanians spending more time in front of their computers, surfing the web or playing games, increasingly frequenting bars and clubs, all of which means that part of television’s target audience is spending less time at home.