Answer: cross-sectional study
Step-by-step explanation:
Here, A research company uses a device to record the viewing habits of about 2500 households (that includes different persons such as adults , children and seniors )
The data collected today(at a single point in time).
If it is used to determine the proportion of households tuned to a particular children's children's program.
The type of observational study is described in the problem statement : "cross-sectional"