To examine genre preferences and whether they change over time, we selected three programs that aired in the spring and are now continuing in the fall: Desperate Housewives (ABC), Ghost Whisperer (CBS), and Heroes (NBC).B We then created two bubble charts for each program.B The chart on the left is based on April/May viewing habits, while the one on the right is based on September/October viewing habits.

The charts on the left look extremely similar to the charts on the right. B Most audiences had the same proclivity to the show in the spring as they do now in the fall.B Core audiences (upper-right quadrant) are mainly constant.

B Correlation in these charts is high, as we would expect.B Both Relative Segment Reach and Attentiveness tend to be similar by genre segment for spring episodes and fall episodes of the respective shows.B The table below illustrates these high correlations:

Finally, the two charts below plot Segment Reach and then Attentiveness for spring and fall, with each point representing a genre segment.B All six trendlines are at around a 45 degree angle, further indicating the high correlations.

B

B Further analysis could recreate this exercise for a larger quantity of programs.