Abstract:

This paper takes as its starting point the profusion of channel choices that are being bandied about in the media, and asks whether there will be any real change in the way that viewers view in the next few years. Beyond the seven year marker, there are indications that both the opportunities and the environment will change dramatically, and this paper therefore also looks beyond 2001 in considering how these changes will impact audience measurement. Nevertheless, for the television business, the next seven years will bring an acceleration of the process of change, driven by opportunities created by technology and globalisation. The impact on audience research will be small in the immediate future, but it is likely that the changing nature of the use of the TV set will bring major changes beyond 2001.