Magnify Digital, OCAD University, and TELUS Fund launch qualitative audience data project
Magnify Digital, OCAD U and TELUS Fund are collaborating on an intensive project to research and develop tools for measuring how screen media content impacts audiences. Understanding and Magnifying the Impacts of Cultural Content is a 12-month project that will result in a deeper understanding of the success of a media product, its critical reception, and its impacts on audiences.
Under the academic leadership of Dr. Sara Diamond and Dr. Chris Kim, this exciting initiative will develop, test, and implement tools that will later be shared via ScreenMiner™, Magnify Digital’s new cloud-based audience analytics platform (formerly called, ViewerCentric).
“The Canadian screen media sector has an exciting opportunity to expand its use and application of audience data to drive the reach and impact of content. There is a growing trend in the global arts and culture sector to understand and shape the ways the culture can change lives.” says Dr. Sara Diamond, project lead and President Emerita, OCAD University.
The overall objective of the project is to develop systems for the qualitative analysis of screen media products to
• create benchmarks and a scoring system for festival invitations, awards and earned media
• create tools for analyzing audience perceptions of the media they watch and its impact on their lives
Feedback from industry leaders during the ViewerCentric National Audience Data Initiative (2020) underscored that both producers and funders believe success is no longer reduced to the quantity of views for a product but includes the quality of the experience, including audience engagement and impacts on individual or community viewers’ lives.
Moyra Rodger, Magnify Digital founder and CEO observes, “Audiences and screen media consumption are changing. The way we measure the success of screen content needs to evolve, too. For example, content targeting niche audiences may be extremely successful and significant though not in terms of traditional quantitative metrics such a viewership.”
“A more sophisticated toolkit for measuring both quantitative and qualitative success is needed.” says Elizabeth Friesen, Executive Director, TELUS Fund. “This is particularly true for content seeking to raise awareness and drive positive change.”
The project team is currently building out a board of advisors. Findings and prototyped tools are expected to be released within the year.
Understanding and Magnifying the Impacts of Cultural Content is supported by Mitacs Accelerate and the Canada Media Fund.