Reception potential

Reception potential indicates how many people or households can receive a broadcaster terrestrially, via cable, satellite, or the internet. A broadcaster’s reception is considered valid if it was switched on for at least one second in a panel household. Due to this definition, the reception potential of a broadcaster is always smaller than its technical reach, because reception potential is based on actual reception, not all the potential households in the distribution area. Although the reception potential is mostly robust against fluctuations due to its definition, slight changes can still occur in a few cases. Reasons for this may include panel entries and exits, maintenance work, cable network or transponder shutdowns or reallocations, and weighting processes.