Measuring the Audience: Why It Matters to Independent News Media

Audience research is essential for media development as a means to gauge impact, establish data sets across markets and regions, and determine how well the audience is engaging with the content that media produces. Independent news media, which often struggle to build a sustainable business model, need to embrace audience research as the foundation of both their business development and audience development models. Few countries in the developing world, however, have succeeded in creating sustainable audience research institutions or practices.  How can the media development community better integrate aspects of audience research into its practice? Are there ways the donor community can better support this type of work?  Please join CIMA in launching our report, Measuring the Audience: Why it Matters to Independent News Media and How It Can Contribute to Media Development, and for a panel discussion about the importance and challenges of audience research.