1939

Early BBC television appreciation research

The BBC has combined research into the audience's appreciation of its programmes with data about audience size since the earliest days of television. The first such research was conducted in the summer of 1939 when viewers, estimated to number no more than 20,000-25,000, were invited to apply for a questionnaire. The BBC distributed 4,806 copies; 85 per cent were returned.
        Viewers were asked to indicate the genres of programmes they liked, with the following results, showing the proportion of viewers saying they liked each category.

Studio productions	%		Outside broadcasts	%
Picture Page	92		theatre relays	93
variety	91		ceremonies, etc	89
full-length plays	83		sport	88
demonstrations	80
talks	74		Filmed programmes	%
short plays	70		newsreels	93
bands and singers	45		cartoons	82
sports talks	43		English feature films	66
operetta	26		short films	56
ballet	25		continental films	23
music	12