RESEARCH FOR MEDIA
Every channel, station, platform and cinema asks the same three questions: who is out there, what do they want next, and did what we made actually work?
Media is a business of attention. Attention shifts fast, and it shifts differently in Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Bengaluru. Ratings and platform dashboards tell you how many. They rarely tell you why, or who you are missing. That is where primary research helps. Here is what ARS Market Research Services can do for every kind of media house.
1. Television (GEC, news, music, kids, regional)
Audience and viewing habits
Who watches which channel, when, with whom and on which screen. Cuts by age, town class, language and household type.
Show and format testing
Test a new serial, game show or news format with the target audience before the money is spent: concept, characters, title, time slot.
Promo and brand-look testing
Do viewers recall the promo, understand it and want to tune in? Does the channel identity feel distinct?
Channel image and loyalty
What viewers think of your channel against competitors, and what would make them switch.
2. Radio and FM
Listener profile
Who listens, at what hour, in which place: car, home, shop, commute.
RJ, show and music testing
Which presenters, segments and playlists listeners like, and what makes them stay or tune out.
Advertiser recall
Do listeners remember spots, jingles and sponsorships? Useful for the sales team’s proof.
3. OTT and streaming platforms
Subscriber satisfaction and churn
Why viewers join, stay or leave; reaction to price, plans and bundles.
Content gap and language study
What viewers wish was available, and how much language matters in towns beyond the metros.
Discovery and app experience
How people find something to watch, and where the app frustrates them.
Non-user study
Why people who could subscribe do not: price, data, devices, habit, or trust.
4. Cinema and theatres
Audience exit interviews
Short interviews outside the hall: who came, why this film, what they felt, whether they will recommend it.
Theatre experience and pricing
Seats, food, parking, ticket price and show timings. What makes a family choose a theatre over a screen at home.
Trailer and release testing
Reaction to trailers, posters and titles; best release timing in each town.
New-screen feasibility
Is there demand for a new multiplex or screen in this catchment? Footfall, competition and willingness to pay.
5. Print, digital, music, events and outdoor
Readership and reach
Newspaper and magazine readership by area and language.
Digital content and creators
Who follows which channels and creators, and what they trust.
Event and festival feedback
Audience profile and satisfaction for concerts, award nights and exhibitions.
Outdoor and hoarding recall
Do people notice and remember hoardings, transit and mall media on a given route?
The study types behind all of this
Whatever the medium, the work uses the same dozen tools: consumer and household surveys (face to face, telephone and online), usage, attitude and awareness studies, concept and product testing, brand tracking, customer satisfaction and NPS, willingness to pay, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, expert interviews, mystery audits and outlet or theatre audits, and market mapping and sizing. See our research services for how each works.
How an ARS media study runs
- Brief: the decision you need to make, in one page.
- Design: sample, languages and questionnaire, approved by you before fieldwork.
- Fieldwork: our own investigators interview in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi or English, supervised daily, with back-checks.
- Analysis: tables, charts and verbatims.
- Recommendation: what to change, in order of priority.
Useful public sources for context: BARC India for TV audience measurement, TRAI for broadcasting and telecom data, and IBEF for industry overviews.
Planning a study for your channel, station, platform or theatre?
Send us the question. We will come back with a sample plan and a cost.
Also read: How to do market research before starting a business · Why local data matters in Tamil Nadu · Our books · ARS Insights newsletter