Ascolti

Ascolti is an Italian term with two main uses. As a plural noun, it refers to listening activities and, more commonly in media discourse, to audience figures for radio and television: gli ascolti di una trasmissione. It is also the second-person singular present indicative form of the verb ascoltare (tu ascolti) and, in the present subjunctive, the form che lui ascolti. In practice, the noun sense is the dominant meaning in journalism and broadcasting contexts, while the verb form appears in everyday speech.

In broadcasting, gli ascolti indicate how many people listen to or watch a program, often accompanied by related metrics such as share and rating. These measurements are produced by specialized organizations; in Italy the television audience is traditionally monitored by Auditel, and radio audiences are tracked by Audiradio. The data influence programming decisions, advertising rates, and scheduling, and are frequently reported in media coverage and industry analysis.

Etymology and usage notes: ascolti derives from the noun ascolto, meaning listening or attentiveness, which in turn comes from Latin auscultare. The noun ascolto refers to the act or experience of listening, while the plural ascolti is used to describe multiple listening events or, more broadly, audience measurements in media contexts. The word thus sits at the intersection of everyday listening and formal audience research.