Creating the Viewer

Creating the Viewer is the definitive account of television market research. Justin Wyatt grants rare, privileged access to the industry thinking that underpins various types of market research studies. This book has broad appeal because of the smart and unique ways it intervenes in current debates over how to define the viewer and how to redescribe viewing in the streaming era of algorithms. ~Jennifer Gillan, author of Television Brandcasting: The Return of the Content-Promotion Hybrid

Creating the Viewer provides a detailed and illuminating account of contemporary television market research, how it’s designed and conducted, where it falls short, and how it must change in a rapidly shifting media environment. Anchoring his discussion in both media scholarship and professional experience in market research, Justin Wyatt provides new insights into alternative models for holistic, audience-centered research and concludes by suggesting how such models could also inform the reader’s own media practices toward a more attentive and mindful participation in media culture. ~Tasha Oren, author of Food TV

Justin Wyatt was one of the best researchers I worked with during my thirty-five-year career in television. His research efforts at Disney | ABC were filled with insights and presented with dignity and care. He has written a book that serves two readerships well: the professional in the field and the student in the classroom. My students at UCLA Anderson School of Management will be beneficiaries of his hard work and experience. ~Brian Frons, Adjunct Professor, UCLA Anderson and former President, Daytime, Disney | ABC Television Group