Telenovelas score higher in English and Spanish.

Prime-time telenovelas, whether in English or in Spanish attract higher than average out-of home audiences according to a study of Arbitron Portable People Meter (PPMsm) data for the last two weeks of September. In fact, the out-of-home audience percentages that Arbitron has recorded for telenovelas approach the percentages recorded for NFL Football. Arbitron has deployed Portable People Meters in Houston, Texas, the nation’s tenth largest TV market, as the first step in a rollout of the new, passive measurement technology in the nation’s top 50 markets.

Portable People Meters measure viewing both in and out of home by persons selected for the PPMsm panel. The PPMsm is the first electronic TV and Radio measurement method deployed in the Houston Market that can record out-of-home TV viewing. The PPMsm tracks tune-in via inaudible codes embedded in the audio signal of programs. A low power RF beacon allows the PPMsm to know whether it is at home or away from home.

According to the Arbitron data for nine weeknights, September 18 through 29, 2006 (excepting September 21, when Univision telenovelas were pre-empted) out-of-home telenovela viewing exceeded the average in almost every key demographic across all three broadcast TV networks which now show telenovelas in prime time: Univision and Telemundo, which broadcast in Spanish, and MyNetwork, which broadcasts in English.

For example, while Arbitron reports average prime-time out-of-home viewing at about 13 percent, each of the three networks carrying telenovelas exceeded that figure. Among total viewers, MyNetwork scored 15% out-of-home viewing. Univision scored 15.1%, and Telemundo scored 17.4%. Out-of-home telenovela viewing is even higher in the three key demographic groups, persons aged 18 to 34, 18 to 49, and 25 to 54.

Most striking is the huge out-of-home component for Univision among the 18 to 34 year old demographic. Not only did Univision’s telenovelas attract four times the combined hourly audience of MyNetwork and Telemundo telenovelas in Houston, but they also got the highest percentage of out-of-home viewership among young adults: 24.3% vs. 24.2% for MyNetwork and 19% for Telemundo.

Univision also led the pack among viewers aged 18 to 49 with more than three times the hourly audience of Telemundo and MyNetwork combined. More than a fifth (20.4%) of the Univision telenovela audience aged 18 to 49 watched away from home vs. 17.8% for Telemundo and 13.% for MyNetwork.

Among those aged 25 to 54, out-of-home telenovela viewership is a tad smaller on a percentage basis, but still above average for prime time. While Univision continued to lead the pack with average hourly viewing almost four times the combined totals of its rivals, it trailed in the out-of-home component at 14.3%. MyNetwork placed second with 15.1% out-of-home viewing among those aged 25 to 54, and Telemundo led with 18.8%.

The high out-of-home viewing components for telenovelas come as a surprise. Typically, Arbitron has recorded out-of-home viewing percentages in the high teens to the low thirties for sporting events such as regularly scheduled NFL Football games. Special events, such as the World Cup Soccer matches in the summer of 2006, attracted out-of-home viewing as high as 50% in some demographic groups.