Audience Fragmentation and Segmentation

The previous section explored the challenges and opportunities of using conver-gence to exploit new windows with the aim of increasing a media firm’s revenues and extending the value of its brands. At the same time, media producers, distributors, and exhibitors must also confront another major development: the growth of audience fragmentation and segmentation. As with windows, audience fragmentation and segmentation preceded the rise of digital media. And as with windows, the process influences more than media convergence. So we will now describe audience fragmentation and segmentation and examine their role in media today and, especially, in the growth of convergence.