Globally, the media industry is embarking on one of the most significant and dynamic eras of change with the New Zealand market at the forefront of this progress. Largely driving this change is technological development, but the industry is also affected by the impact of globalisation of media ownership, the phenomenal growth of the Internet, and other ambient media such as outdoor, point of sale television, bus and taxi sites. At the same time each of the main media is increasing in complexity. Electronic media has seen the introduction of digital transmission and reception which, amongst other things, greatly increases the number of channels available for broadcasting and introduces the option of complementary datacasting services. All of these need to be measured appropriately so that audiences can be clearly and accurately understood by media owners, planners and buyers. The process of creating media strategies has become more complex and dynamic with the introduction of very sophisticated software designed to optimise media selection against an unending range of criteria. There is a growing movement away from the use of simple age and gender demographics for most media assumptions and an increasing appreciation of the need for a more holistic understanding of current and potential customers, including characteristics such as media usage, buyer behaviour, attitudes, lifestyle and interests. Gaining a competitive edge New Zealand has a population of 4.1 million; the New Zealand media industry has a population made up of over 6,000 magazine titles – 650 locally published – approximately 450 cinema screens, 300 radio stations, 87 television channels, over 150 metropolitan and community newspapers, and an advertising expenditure of approximately NZ$2.2 billion annually. It is important for advertisers to consider their target customers carefully and precisely, to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in their expenditure relative to the results they aim to achieve. Likewise media owners, broadcasters, publishers and other media owners turn to Nielsen Media Research for answers to their most important questions: How are my target audiences using my media? Are children watching more TV or playing more interactive games? How many people watched the main news, read the newspaper or magazine? Nielsen Media Research has conducted audience measurement continuously since mid 1970’s for television, newspapers and magazines with Cinema, Outdoor and the Internet now also being measured. Nielsen Media Research's media executives are amongst the leading practitioners in media research in the world and can provide a complete understanding of the nature of audiences to assist advertisers and agencies achieve their objectives. Nielsen Media Research has a thorough understanding of your research needs, planning, organising and managing a wide range of research services for the media industry. For further details on how we can assist in the Media sector, please contact the Media Helpdesk using the following email form.