Understanding Television Audiences

This article explores some of the methods currently used for studying television audiences and suggests some new possibilities for teaching about them. These include analysis of ‘hard’ data about television audiences and more subjective insights gained from the experience of being part of an audience. It will offer a framework of questions which ought constantly to be asked about television audiences. For example: what is a television audience? What pleasures do television audiences derive from programmes? How are television audiences composed? How are they addressed? How is television audience research carried out? How do television audiences respond to programmes? And finally, what are the implications of an increased understanding of television audiences for broadcasters and educational television producers?.