ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces concepts that guide the study and practice of media analytics. Because media analytics are based primarily on the ways consumers use media, the author explores the evolution of thought about the nature of audiences. Grady positions media analytics within the broader context of data science, and addresses distinctions between terms analytics and analysis. Because current analytics tools have built on the measurement practices of legacy media, the author reviews the history of measurement companies from the 1930s to the present. Over many years, a range of metrics have been defined to provide an understanding media consumers in both legacy and social media audiences, as summarized in this chapter. Finally, Grady addresses the importance of insights, as derived from analytics, and explores the process of moving from data and analytics to insights.
