Audiences

 Aim: To investigate the target audiences for media products 

Mainstream - an audience that consumes a product that appeals to a wide range of groups and cultures

Niche - the audience of a specialist interest media product that may only appeal to a small number o people or those who fall within a specific demographic profile (eg. age, ethnicity)

Narrowcasting - aiming programmes at specific and specialist audiences as opposed to broadcasting to 'mass' audiences.

Chris Anderson: The Long Tail Theory

- Devised by Chris Anderson of Wired magazine

- First published 2004, then as a book in 2009

- Concerns mass vs niche products and audience                

BARB data

- BARB stands for Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. They collate viewing figures for all the major UK broadcasters such as BBC, TV and Sky. 

    - From looking at the BARB website it is evident that during September 2018, there were 6.64 million people who watched The X factor in a week, on channel ITV. This could be due to the popularity and that there is such a mass audience, people from all over the UK are involved, regardless of your age or region. It is also available on multiple devices such as TV, Laptop, Tablet and Smartphone. It is also aired on Saturday at 20:00 which is a weekend where families may spend time together and be a home watching TV.

- BARB data can then be used by television companies to assess how well a television series is performing- compared with previous series, for example, or with rival shows on other channels.

Demographics - in which media producers study the breakdown of their target audiences based on variables in age, ethnicity, gender, economic status/class, level of education, hobbies and interests, and lifestyle choices.

Psychographics - profiling of audiences based on personal beliefs, values, interests, and lifestyle.

Target Audiences - NRS social grades.

My own findings:

Psychographic Profile

- Psychographic information might be your buyer's habits, hobbies, spending habits and values.

-  Demographics explain 'who' your buyer is, while psychographics explain 'why' they buy.

    - GRACE - Gender, Race, Age, Class, Ethnicity.

How to obtain psychographics:

1. Interviewing existing clients

2. Investigating website analytics