vaatlejate

Vaatlejate is the genitive plural form of the Estonian noun vaatleja, meaning viewer or spectator. It is used to refer to a group of people who watch something, rather than to an individual observer. In ordinary text, phrases like vaatlejate arv (the number of viewers) or vaatlejate käitumine (viewers’ behavior) are common.

Etymology and grammar: vaatleja is formed from vaata- “to look” plus the agent suffix -leja. The nominative plural is vaatlejad, while vaatlejate is the genitive plural. This form is typically used within noun phrases that modify or indicate possession, such as vaatlejate eelistused (viewers’ preferences) or vaatlejate demograafia (viewers’ demographics). The term is distinct from vaataja, the more general singular form for “viewer,” and from vaatajaskond, a separate word commonly used for the audience as a collective.

Usage and context: In broadcasting, film, sports, and events, vaatlejate refers to the audience or viewers considered as a group for purposes of measurement, research, or reporting. With the growth of streaming and cross-platform viewing, vaatlejate metrics increasingly encompass online viewers as well as traditional TV audiences, sometimes overlapping with terms like vaatlejaskond or vaatajaskond to describe audience size and composition.

See also: vaatleja, vaataja, vaatajaskond, vaatlejaskond.

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