Ratings point (TV)

: The percentage of TV households in a market/region a TV channel reaches with a program. Generally, one ratings point is the equivalent of 1 percent of all the television households in a particular area tuned to a specific program. The percentage may vary with the time of day. A channel may have a 10 rating between 6:00 and 6:30 P.M. and a 20 rating between 9:00 and 9:30. The program rating is the key number to the TV programme, since the amount of money they can charge for commercial timings is based on it. Advertisers also follow ratings closely since they are the key measure for audience size and commercial rates.