Armenia: Audience research study (in Armenian)

Audience research is important in the media's work, as it provides an opportunity to gain insight into the preferences, needs, demands and behavior of different groups of society. This new study shows the importance of conducting audience research in Armenia and the use of modern methods. In addition, the research contributes to the development of approaches to meet the needs of the audience and increase the effectiveness of media. It also presents the need to establish interaction between the media and the audience and the risks arising in the absence of it. By analyzing the demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of the audience and their approach towards the content, it is possible to form a general idea of what is relevant for different groups of society, and which means of media are gradually becoming outdated.

The study identified the information needs and the media habits of the target audience in Armenia. Official websites and video content of the media partners within the "European Media Facility in Armenia – Building Sustainable and Professional Media" project were evaluated to get audience feedback on the material and the media.

The study was conducted using mixed methods of data collection. Quantitative and qualitative data was obtained from focus group discussions (24 sessions in total) held between November 8, 2021 to July 9, 2023. The participants were selected from Yerevan and other regions targeted by partner media outlets, respectively from Shirak, Armavir, Syunik, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Lori marzes. The selection of participants of the study was done keeping gender, age and geographical distribution in balance.

The VideoMetrics tool used for audience research was developed by DW as part of their methodological innovation process. Based on the results, it was possible to evaluate the videos of partner organizations. Materials were rated from 0 to 100, and the results were analyzed and presented by calculating the average statistical indicators of the ratings given by the participants during the general discussion. At least one video per partner organization was evaluated. The videos were randomly selected by the VideoMetrics team members, taking into account the relevance of topics as well as the outreach.

Through assembling the data of all the abovementioned methods, the main preferences and habits of the audience as well as their habits of navigating through the media outlet’s websites were analyzed. Generally, the reactions towards the websites and videos as well as the behavioral patterns of the audience were researched based on the collected qualitative and quantitative data. At the same time, the results of the study were compared with the results of other similar studies conducted in Armenia to highlight the main findings of the work.

The "European Media Facility in Armenia – Building Sustainable and Professional Media" project is being implemented by DW Akademie in cooperation with BBC Media Action, Democracy Development Foundation, Hetq/ Investigative Journalists NGO, and Factor TV. The project is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

This publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of DW Akademie and the European Union.