The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) has launched a report titled “Measuring the Audience: Why It Matters to Independent Media and How It Can Contribute to Media Development “. The report which examines the issues associated with measuring audiences for media development was written by Michelle J. Foster, a veteran media executive. The report looks at the benefits and challenges of measuring audiences for news media and media developers.
According to CIMA, “Audience measurements, with their resulting influence on content and commercialization, are essential components of financially viable media and media markets. They help create marketplaces where diverse media can compete in viable niches, offer audience insights and thus increase the likelihood that media organizations will produce relevant content, and play an essential role in reducing corruption by exposing it.”
CIMA insists that from a media development perspective, audience measurements reveal whether people are engaging with the content that news media produce, adding that “Although it has become essential for media organizations to have core strengths in understanding their audiences, building capacity for measuring audiences is seldom included in media development initiatives.”
