What is a rating point in broadcasting?

Rating Points

In broadcast media, a rating point is one percent of a communication vehicle's coverage area that has been exposed to a broadcast program.

For instance, say the Super Bowl has a 40 national rating. This means that during an average 15 minute segment of the Super Bowl, 40 percent of all U.S. households were turned in. At the local level, a TV show that has 3 percent of the households in its market watching is said to have a 3 rating in its coverage area.

Broadcast ratings are based on a communication vehicle's coverage are. It can be defined however a marketer wants to define it. It could be all households in the Detroit area, all adults nationwide, or women aged 25 to 49 in the Southeast.