A single television ratings point represents one per cent of the total households in the US.

• A. One percent of the total number of households in the US
• B. One percent of households watching at that moment
• C. Five percent of the total households in the US
• D. Ten percent of households

Answer: (A)

Ratings measure the proportion of all defined TV households in the country that are tuned to a program. One rating point, therefore, represents 1% of that total universe of households, not of the audience currently watching or of a fixed higher percentage. This is why a 1-point rating corresponds to about 1% of all US TV households, regardless of how many are actually watching at any moment (the latter idea is captured by “share,” not ratings). If there are, for example, around 120 million US TV households, a 1-point rating equals roughly 1.2 million households.