Media

specialised industry in which millions are spent on an annual basis all over the world. Technological innovation is furthermore constantly transforming the possibilities for and practises of audience measurement.

Whatever your personal career goals in the media, you will need to achieve a theoretical as well as practical knowledge and understanding of audience research (Webster et al 2006). In this chapter we explore the practices of audience measurement (sometimes also called ratings research).

12.2WHO NEEDS INFORMATION ON AUDIENCES?

Various groups of people and/or institutions require detailed information about audience size and structure as well as audience use of and/or attitudes towards the media (Kent 1994):

Programme and film producers, broadcast schedulers and newspaper and magazine editors all need to address a potential audience or “market” for their products with a suitable marketing mix. This means that product design, contents and specification (e.g. programme planning and development), pricing (e.g. charge for advertising slots), promotional activities as well as coverage (e.g. the area of broadcasting or physical distribution) need to be matched not only with the opportunities that exist in the market, but also with the organisation’s capabilities and limitations. The same principle than for all kinds of human communication applies here (Mytton 1999). We speak, for example, differently to toddlers than to secondary school learners. Similarly, all aspects of media programming have to be matched to the target audience. This process of matching cannot find place without basic information on the size and structure of the audience as a whole as well as for individual channels, stations, programmes, newspapers or magazines. Programme schedulers furthermore need information on certain aspects of consumer behaviour (e.g. channel switching behaviour) and preferences for and attitudes towards particular programmes and/or contents.

Media owners – Media...