Video Flash reporting is based on consumer surveys conducted by a prominent research firm according to the strictest principles of sampling, interviewing, call backs, and supervision. Each "wave" of Video Flash interviews consists of not less than 1,000 completed telephone interviews conducted according to this process. Video Flash issues are published based on two weeks of interview data.

The sampling process is a balanced sample of three-digit telephone exchanges around the country chosen so that respondents who are contacted within each exchange (on a random digit dialing methodology) will be representative of the geographical, age, sex, and ethnic distribution of the population generally. This sampling approach is called a stratified random sample.

Once contacted and qualified, the respondent is presented with the same flow of questions as every other respondent in this research since March of 1987. If a VCR is present in the home, the respondent is asked if anyone in his household has rented (or purchased) a tape in the last seven days, and if so how many, what titles and which store (or what price). In addition, the respondent is asked a complete battery of demographic questions so that detailed demographics can be attached to the file.