Meeting with the authors of the book “Media Measurement: History, Issues and Perspectives”

Why did you want to write this book?

Julien Rosanvallon: We had known each other for several years with Benoît Cassaigne and Philippe Tassi because we worked together, despite our very different backgrounds. And one day, Philippe suggested that we write a book. And this proposition was obvious because we share a common passion for understanding the media and wanted to transmit this knowledge.

Philippe Tassi: During my long years at Médiamétrie, I had time to notice that in France, there were a good number of books on the history of the media but none specifically dedicated to media measurement (on the history, the issues and prospects). And given that I retired in 2019, I had a little more free time to devote to writing a book.

Benoît Cassaigne: We actually had this common desire to transmit and this shared love for audience measurement. And a real opportunity to release a book on media measurement presented itself to us because we are currently experiencing a pivotal moment on the subject. The work we have written therefore provides a particularly interesting perspective in a context where many questions arise about the future of the media and their evolution.

What are the different challenges that media actors are facing?

B.C. : The one that most structures the work remains the digitization of the media landscape. A chapter is devoted to the consequences of digital technology on the media. There are two mainly: the mode of expression has, firstly, considerably broadened. Indeed, while more than half of press distribution is digital, this rate still reaches 20% when it comes to radio. The media are therefore led to express themselves in very different ways. Then there is the appearance of new competition with the advent of platforms. How can traditional media coexist with these platforms? In this context, these new players will, without a doubt, have their say in audience studies.

P.T. : There was a first important shift in measurement almost a century ago – in the 1930s – with the emergence of the mathematical theory of surveys and representative sampling. And today, with digital technology, we are indeed experiencing a second major evolution in measurement. In this digital world, we are no longer talking about samples of a few thousand people but about an almost exhaustive analysis in real time identified by the platforms. So here too, a certain obligation to rethink the measurement model is necessary.

J.R. : Digital technology provides data that has infinite value, but which also segments many markets, generating many question marks for advertisers, for the regulator, and more generally for all media players. How can we achieve a global and shared understanding? And this is also where there is a lot of reflection to be done on this subject of convergence by creating a language and a standard common to all.

In fact, Médiamétrie recently announced significant progress on this subject of cross-media measurement. Can you tell us more?

J.R. : Médiamétrie's first attempts to implement cross-media measurement go back quite a long way. Although they made it possible to create bridges between media, they were limited because the old system kept them in silos. For example, for an actor from the press who had a paper version and a site or an application, we could already make the link between all these audiences in order to obtain a global audience. The years passed and the subject of convergence around video began to emerge and we therefore tried to launch a measure which brought everything together and which made the link on the advertising level. Thus, a little over two years ago, Médiamétrie initiated a major cross-media measurement project, the main milestones of which must be completed this year 2025. But for this, all market players must be brought together around the table.

This is what Médiamétrie is doing with the launch of the cross-media committee…

J.R. : There is indeed a very positive dynamic. Television channels, broadcasters, agencies and advertisers – who are very committed to this process – are in sync. And today, several large platforms have agreed to join this committee: YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video… (Editor's note: while discussions are underway with Max and TikTok, only the Meta group refused to join the committee). The commitment of these players to participate in this process and to subscribe to these measures which arrive in 2025 is a very positive sign for the market.

P.T. : We are one of the rare countries to engage in this dialogue with all media stakeholders. I think that Médiamétrie had an advantage that other research companies in other countries do not necessarily have: it is the reference not only for television but also for the web and radio. Having acquired this digital culture since the beginning of the 2000s has been very favorable for Médiamétrie because it allows it to speak in an experienced manner with the platforms.

B.C. : But to be clear, we wanted to dissociate our book from news from the media and Médiamétrie. It was important for us that it was not a work on Médiamétrie but which examined, with more perspective, the history, issues and perspectives of media measurement.