Market Research for Media, Gaming, News, and Entertainment Platforms

Bixa is a research partner for media and entertainment organizations

Bixa helps media companies, gaming studios, news organizations, and entertainment platforms better understand their audiences and how people discover, consume, and engage with content. Our research programs uncover the motivations behind viewing habits, gameplay behavior, content discovery, and audience loyalty.

Through methods such as audience interviews, behavioral research, segmentation studies, and large-scale surveys, we help organizations understand what drives engagement, how audiences choose between platforms, and what makes content resonate. These insights help teams make more informed decisions about content strategy, product development, audience growth, and long-term platform success.

Media and entertainment companies partner with Bixa to answer questions like:

• How do audiences discover and choose content across platforms such as streaming, social media, and gaming environments?
• What motivates people to watch, play, read, or engage with certain types of content?
• How do different audience segments interact with our platform or content library?
• What drives engagement, loyalty, and subscription decisions?
• What features, experiences, or formats drive deeper engagement and loyalty?
• How can we strengthen audience growth and retention in an increasingly competitive content ecosystem?
• How do audiences perceive our brand compared to competitors?
• Where do users struggle when interacting with our platforms?

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How Bixa helps media, gaming, news, and entertainment organizations

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    Audience Research

    Bixa conducts audience research for media companies, gaming studios, news organizations, and entertainment platforms to understand how people discover, choose, and engage with content. Our research uncovers the motivations behind viewing habits, gameplay behavior, and audience loyalty across different platforms and formats.

    Our research often includes:

    • Audience interviews, focus groups, and surveys to understand what drives content discovery and engagement

    • Content preference research to identify which genres, formats, or themes resonate most with audiences

    • Audience segmentation studies to identify distinct viewer, reader, or player segments

    • Brand and platform perception research to understand how audiences perceive different media platforms and content providers

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    Content & Product Research

    Bixa helps media and entertainment teams make smarter content and product decisions through research that identifies what experiences audiences value most. This research supports decisions about programming, new content formats, platform features, and monetization strategies.

    Our content and product research often includes:

    • Content concept testing for new shows, games, or editorial initiatives

    • Feature prioritization studies using MaxDiff to identify which platform features audiences value most

    • Conjoint analysis to understand tradeoffs between content formats, features, and pricing models

    • Audience demand studies to evaluate potential new content categories or entertainment experiences

  • A yellow digital illustration of a user experience (UX) design concept, including a webpage layout, a gear icon, and a clipboard with 'UX' written on it.

    UX & Platform Experience Research

    Bixa conducts UX research and usability testing for streaming platforms, news websites, gaming products, and digital entertainment experiences to understand how audiences interact with content platforms and where friction occurs.

    Our UX research often includes:

    • Moderated usability testing where researchers observe how audiences navigate content platforms

    • Unmoderated usability testing that captures real-world user behavior at scale

    • Heuristic UX reviews to evaluate the platform against digital media usability best practices

    • Audience journey research to understand how users discover, consume, and return to content

Challenges we solve for media, gaming, news and entertainment companies

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  • Media companies often have strong analytics dashboards showing impressions, clicks, viewing time, and engagement metrics. But those numbers rarely explain the most important question: why audiences chose to engage in the first place. Small elements like headlines, thumbnails, content framing, or platform placement can dramatically affect audience behavior.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts media audience research and content engagement research to understand what actually drives audience decisions. Through interviews, video diary studies, usability testing, and surveys, we observe how people encounter and evaluate media content across social feeds, apps, streaming platforms, and websites. This helps organizations refine content packaging, editorial strategy, and platform presentation.

  • Today’s audiences discover news, entertainment, and games through a complex mix of social media, search engines, recommendation algorithms, streaming platforms, and news aggregators. Many organizations struggle to understand which platforms truly drive discovery and how audiences navigate between them.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts audience discovery research and media consumption research to map how people find and engage with content across platforms. Through diary studies, surveys, and interviews, we uncover how audiences move between social feeds, search, apps, newsletters, and streaming services—helping organizations refine distribution strategy and platform investments.

  • For digital media companies, the user experience of a website, streaming platform, or mobile app plays a major role in whether audiences stay engaged or leave. Even small usability issues—confusing navigation, unclear content organization, or slow-loading experiences—can significantly impact retention.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts UX research and usability testing for media platforms, including moderated testing sessions where real users interact with news sites, entertainment platforms, and digital products. This research identifies usability barriers, navigation issues, and opportunities to improve content discovery, engagement, and user satisfaction.

  • Media companies often serve multiple audience groups with different interests, motivations, and viewing habits. Without clear segmentation, it can be difficult to prioritize content strategy, programming decisions, or marketing investments.

    Organizations frequently ask questions such as: Who are our most valuable audiences? What motivates different viewers or readers? How should we tailor content and messaging for different audience groups?

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts audience segmentation research for media companies, combining surveys with advanced statistical techniques such as cluster analysis to identify distinct audience segments. These segments incorporate behavioral, demographic, and psychographic insights, allowing organizations to tailor content, programming, and marketing strategies to specific audience groups.

  • Launching a new game, content series, or media format often involves significant investment. Without research, organizations may rely on internal assumptions about what audiences want rather than validating ideas with real users.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts concept testing for media and entertainment companies using focus groups, interviews, and surveys to evaluate new game concepts, show formats, editorial ideas, and digital experiences. This research helps organizations refine concepts, identify potential risks, and prioritize the ideas most likely to resonate with audiences.

  • Gen Z and younger audiences like Gen Alpha are transforming how media is consumed. Many rely heavily on algorithmic feeds, short-form video, and mobile-first experiences rather than traditional platforms.

    Media organizations often struggle to understand how younger audiences discover content, what formats resonate with them, and how to build long-term loyalty with these groups.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts Gen Z and Gen Alpha audience research and youth media consumption research using interviews, mobile video diaries, and surveys to observe how younger audiences interact with content and platforms. These insights help media companies adapt their content strategy, digital experiences, and distribution approaches for emerging audience behaviors.

  • Game studios often invest heavily in new titles, expansions, or in-game experiences, but understanding how players actually engage with gameplay, features, and progression systems can be difficult. Analytics may show where players drop off or spend time, but they rarely explain why players behave the way they do or what improvements would increase engagement and retention.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts gaming user research and player experience research through interviews, gameplay observation, video diaries, and surveys. By studying how players interact with games in real-world contexts, we uncover motivations, frustrations, and feature preferences that help studios refine gameplay mechanics, improve player retention, and prioritize future development.

  • Streaming platforms compete intensely for audience attention. Viewers constantly evaluate what to watch next across multiple services, often discovering content through recommendations, search, social media, or algorithmic feeds. Even small changes to interface design, content presentation, or recommendation systems can significantly affect viewing behavior.

    How Bixa Helps

    Bixa conducts streaming audience research to understand how viewers discover and evaluate content on streaming platforms. Through usability testing, interviews, and diary studies, we observe how audiences browse, compare titles, and decide what to watch. These insights help streaming platforms optimize content discovery, improve user experience, and increase viewer engagement.

Work With Us

Media, gaming, news, and entertainment companies operate in a rapidly evolving landscape where audience behavior, content discovery, and platform competition are constantly shifting. Teams are launching new content, refining digital platforms, and experimenting with new formats while trying to understand what keeps audiences watching, reading, or playing.

In many cases, organizations bring in a market research partner like Bixa to conduct media audience research and uncover the insights behind content engagement, platform behavior, and audience preferences. By combining qualitative research, surveys, and audience segmentation analysis, we help teams make decisions about content strategy, product development, and digital experiences based on real audience insight rather than internal assumptions or incomplete analytics. Below are some of the common research challenges media, gaming, news, and entertainment organizations ask us to help solve.

Media, gaming, news & entertainment sectors we research

Bixa conducts market research for companies across a wide range of media, gaming, news, and entertainment sectors, including:

  • News organizations, news aggregators, and digital journalism platforms

  • Streaming platforms and OTT media services

  • Film and television studios

  • Video game studios and gaming publishers

  • Media and entertainment apps and platforms

  • Podcast networks and audio media companies

  • Social media and creator platforms

  • Sports media and sports entertainment companies

  • Online video platforms and short-form content networks

  • Music streaming and digital music platforms

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Audience research case studies for media and entertainment clients

  • Gambling.com logo

    Audience Segmentation Research to Understand Motivations for Online Betting

    Bixa conducted a quantitative study across specific geographies and audience subgroups to segment Gambling.com’s audience and identify differences in motivations for betting and gaming. The research helped reveal emerging trends and opportunities for expanding into related entertainment categories.

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    Focus Groups to Evaluate a Country Music Version of the Beatstar Game

    Bixa conducted focus groups with country music fans who also play music and rhythm games on their phones to evaluate a country-themed version of the popular Beatstar mobile game. The research uncovered audience preferences around music selection, gameplay experience, and artist appeal to help guide product development decisions.

  • Atlanta Journal Constitution logo

    Research to Guide Digital and Social Media Strategy

    For nearly two years, Bixa has partnered with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to conduct ~8 research studies a year combining surveys and screen-shared video diary research on topics important to AJC readers. The insights helped the media company understand audience interests, evaluate social media news consumption behavior, and refine strategies to strengthen its presence on key social platforms.

  • Google Discover logo

    Youth Audience Research to Improve Content Discovery Experiences

    Bixa conducted in-person interviews with specific youth audiences—including gamers and beauty enthusiasts—to understand how they engage with content recommendations. The insights informed recommendations to improve how Google Discover surfaces content, including opportunities to refine algorithm signals and layout to better resonate with these audiences.

  • Google news logo with colorful letters on a white background.

    Audience Segmentation Research to Understand How People Consume News

    Bixa conducted a multi-method audience segmentation study—including surveys, video diary studies, and in-depth interviews—to understand how different types of readers discover and engage with news. The research produced actionable personas that helped guide how Google positions and promotes different news surfaces to distinct audience groups.

  • A Bixa market research client - the GOLFZON company logo.

    Tracking Brand Awareness in the Golf Simulator Market

    Bixa partnered with golf simulator brand GOLFZON to conduct a brand tracking program measuring brand awareness, perception, and competitive positioning among golfers and simulator users. This quarterly ongoing study helps GOLFZON understand how its brand compares to competitors and track shifts in awareness and brand momentum over time.

About Bixa

Bixa is a research partner for media, gaming, news and entertainment companies

Bixa helps media organizations, entertainment platforms, news publishers, and gaming companies uncover the insights behind audience behavior, content engagement, and platform discovery. Our research programs help teams understand how audiences discover content, what drives people to watch, read, or play, and how brand perception compares to competitors across the media landscape.

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Media audience research services for news, gaming and entertainment companies

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Media and entertainment companies use a range of research methods to understand audiences, refine content strategy, and improve digital experiences. Bixa supports media organizations with research programs such as:

  • Audience interviews to understand how viewers, readers, and players evaluate content and platforms

  • Audience segmentation research to identify distinct viewer, reader, and gamer personas

  • Content and concept testing for shows, articles, games, and media formats

  • Pricing and subscription research for streaming platforms and digital media services

  • Brand perception and brand tracking research to measure audience awareness and trust

  • UX research and usability testing for media websites, apps, and streaming platforms

  • Content discovery research to understand how audiences find content across social media, search, and aggregators

  • Media consumption research to understand when, where, and why audiences engage with content

These research programs help media and entertainment companies make more confident decisions about content strategy, audience growth, platform experiences, and long-term engagement.

FAQs about market research for media, gaming, news & entertainment companies

What is media audience research and why is it important? Media audience research helps organizations understand how audiences discover, evaluate, and engage with content across platforms. By studying audience behavior through interviews, surveys, usability testing, and diary studies, media companies can better understand what drives engagement, which content resonates most with audiences, and how to improve digital experiences.

  • News organizations use market research to understand how readers discover stories, evaluate headlines, and engage with articles across platforms such as social media, search engines, newsletters, and news aggregators. Many publishers work with independent market research firms to gather unbiased audience insights, allowing them to understand reader behavior, brand perception, and content engagement from an objective perspective rather than relying only on internal analytics or assumptions.

  • News organizations use market research to understand how readers discover stories, evaluate headlines, and engage with articles across platforms such as social media, search engines, and news aggregators. Research helps editorial and product teams refine content strategy, improve digital user experiences, and better understand audience trust and brand perception.

  • Gaming user research studies how players interact with games, including gameplay mechanics, user experience, and player motivations. Through interviews, gameplay observation, surveys, and diary studies, game studios can identify opportunities to improve gameplay design, increase player retention, and better understand what features matter most to their audience.

  • Streaming platforms rely on audience research to understand how viewers discover content, evaluate recommendations, and decide what to watch. Research can help identify how audiences browse titles, what influences viewing choices, and how user experience and recommendation systems affect engagement and retention.

  • Entertainment companies often conduct research to evaluate new content ideas, understand audience preferences, measure brand perception, and improve digital experiences. This can include concept testing for shows or games, audience segmentation research, brand tracking studies, and UX research for apps and streaming platforms.

  • Media companies research audience engagement by studying how audiences discover, evaluate, and interact with content across platforms such as social media, search engines, streaming services, and news apps. Independent market research firms use methods like interviews, surveys, usability testing, and video diary studies to observe real audience behavior and uncover the motivations behind clicks, views, and content consumption. These insights help media organizations refine content strategy, improve digital experiences, and increase long-term audience engagement.

  • Audience segmentation research identifies distinct groups within a media audience based on behaviors, interests, and motivations. By analyzing survey data and behavioral insights, media companies can develop detailed audience personas that help guide content strategy, programming decisions, and marketing efforts.

  • Market research helps media companies understand what types of content resonate with different audience segments and how audiences discover and evaluate stories, videos, or games. These insights allow editorial and product teams to refine content strategy, improve engagement, and prioritize the formats and topics most likely to resonate with audiences.

  • Researchers often use methods such as video diary studies, screen recordings, and in-depth interviews to observe how audiences encounter content across social media, search engines, apps, and streaming platforms. These studies reveal how people decide what to click, watch, or read in real-world browsing environments.

  • Brand tracking research measures how awareness, perception, and trust in a media or entertainment brand change over time.

    These studies help organizations understand how their brand compares to competitors and track whether marketing, programming, or platform changes are strengthening audience perception.

  • Media and entertainment companies often hire a market research firm when they need deeper audience insights than analytics alone can provide. This may include understanding why audiences choose certain content, evaluating new formats or games before launch, identifying audience segments, or improving the user experience of websites, apps, or streaming platforms.

    An independent research firm can provide objective audience insight and specialized research methods that help editorial, product, and marketing teams make more confident decisions.

Ready to understand how your audiences discover and engage with your content?

Talk with a senior Bixa researcher in a complimentary 30-minute strategy session.

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