captive audience

plural captive audiences

1. A person or people who are unable to leave a place or situation and are thus forced to listen to or watch something.

   Passengers on the plane are a captive audience.

   2 more examples

   Register racks at checkout stands offer manufacturers a captive audience for their products in the retailer's store.

   Mornings and afternoons are called "drive time" because that is when most people are driving. When people commute they tend to listen to the radio, thus drive time is primetime when it comes to total number of radio listeners. During drive time, radio stations have a captive audience.

   2007, Chris Schneider, Starting Your Career in Broadcasting page 212