Today polling is a major part of media. With such a great amount of media options for viewers, corporations need any obtainable edge they can get to draw more customers. One very efficient way to do this is Audience analysis. With the onset of tacticians, a quantity of prevalent and effective ways to get information from the public has come about.

Another way involves probability sampling, which has been a quick and non-technologically dependent medium for polling since about 1940. This works because as by choosing the perfect number from a group demographic, statistically they are able to narrow down percentages to within five percent, a very respected number in the general public. Another method is quota sampling, which although significantly less effective is still a decent form of polling; however, n terms of accuracy and efficiency it is not as effective as probability sampling.

With the advent of more powerful computers and technology processing, metering has proved itself very capable in the TV and radio mediums. This process includes a small unit in every TV that monitors channel viewing every 2.4 seconds. The company Nielsen who monitors the use of these selected TV units across the country mostly does this. Overall it gives a good idea of what the entire country thinks of programs, ads, and more.