Domestication of Anglo-Saxon Conventions and Practices in Australia

Abstract

Media ratings systems have provided an economic foundation for advertiser-supported media. Consequently, the nature of the audience measurement process affects the structure and behaviour of media companies and regulators alike. So when the techniques and technologies of the ratings change, these changes can have ‘a significant effect on the economics of media industries (because these changes can affect advertiser behaviour), the relative economic health of various segments of the media industry, and the nature of the content that media organizations provide’ (Napoli, 2003: p. 65). Although changes to the ‘ratings convention’ governing audience measurement can be disruptive, these changes are driven by the inevitable gap between the measured audience and the actual audience for a service or programmes. With the advent of a more diverse and fragmented media environment and audience groups increasingly demographically defined, this gap has become even more evident, with the validity of ratings as currency for buying and selling media being challenged in the United States. Napoli (2003) suggests that this is leading to a decline in quality and value of the ‘audience product’ — data on who is watching when — because of changes in technology and audiences. The provision of reliable third-party syndicated and customized audience measurement technology for the production of ratings, however, remains essential to good media management nationally and internationally.