We wrote the first edition of Ratings Analysis over 20 years ago. Much about audience measurement has changed since then, but our overall purpose has not. As we noted in the preface to the first edition, this book was written with two groups of people in mind. First, it is intended for anyone who needs more than a superficial understanding of audience research. This would certainly include many people who work in advertising, the media, and related industries. For them, audience data are a fact of life. Whether they have been specifically trained to deal with research or not, their jobs typically require them to make use of “the numbers” when they buy and sell audiences, or make marketing, programming, and investment decisions. The second group includes those who are not compelled to use audience data, but who nevertheless should know something about it. In this group we would include academics, critics, policymakers, students of digital media, and even interested members of the general public. For both groups of readers, we have tried to make the book as plainspoken as our subject matter allows.
None of that has changed in the fourth edition. But the world of audience measurement and analytics has changed since the last edition of this volume was published. Global demand for audience measurement has increased as more and more media systems are being driven by advertising revenues. For better or worse, audience ratings are now commonplace around the world. The new edition reflects the global scope of our subject. The ways in which media find an audience have also changed. Much of the world now depends on digital networks to deliver not only television but also a wide range of services over the Internet. Portable devices like tablets and smartphones offer the prospect of anywhere, anytime media consumption. Almost all of these technologies depend on computers to manage the flow of digital media, and these servers can track what is being sent. They represent a new approach to audience measurement, which was only in its infancy when we wrote the previous edition. The new edition now includes an extensive discussion of “server-centric” measurement.
The fourth edition has also been reorganized. As before, the book begins with an overview of audience research in its different forms, from academic studies to commercial audience measurement. Beyond that, the book is divided into three major sections. The first is about audience data and where they come from. It describes the history of audience measurement in the United States and around the world. It then discusses how new media and contemporary business practices shape audience measurement. It concludes with a detailed review of the many methods now being used to create audience data, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The second section focuses on the analysis of these data. It begins with a theoretical framework for understanding audience behavior and ends with a review of gross and cumulative measures of the audience. These now include the use of various web metrics. The third section illustrates the major applications of audience research in advertising, programming, financial analysis, and social policy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people helped make this book a reality. They include the individuals we acknowledged in earlier editions. Their contributions live on in the new work. In the fourth edition, we are particularly indebted to the following people for their support, guidance, and insights: Brad Bedford, Ed Bowman, Chris Brimer, Ed Cohen, Paul Donato, Kathleen Fox, Brian Fuhrer, Patti Ganguzza, Garry Hart, Jon Marks, Wayne Neiman, Stacey Lynn Schulman, Jamie Sterling, Radha Subramanyam, Bruce Rosenblum, Tom Thai, Robert Verbanac, Michael Vinson, Jack Wakshlag, Henry Webster, and Richard Zackon. We are thankful to countless others at different media and measurement companies for providing data and examples of how research is used. These include Arbitron, comScore Media Metrix, LUC Media, Inc., Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen//NetRatings, Rentrak, GfK Telecontrol, TiVo, Turner Broadcasting, Veronis Suhler Stevenson, and the several major trade associations. We’re also appreciative of the anonymous reviewers who suggested many useful changes to the book and of Linda Bathgate and her staff at Routledge. Much of what is good about this book is a result of these many contributions. Anything that is bad, we managed to introduce despite their help. Finally, we want to thank our families; parents, spouses, siblings, and children. All of them have in their own ways, large and small, made it possible for us to do our work.