Digital media have dramatically increased the nature and diversity of the ways people can access media content, and the assumption that audiences occupy a position of 'reception' is giving way to an understanding of audiences as media-active. As this handbook demonstrates, the study of audiences is shifting and changing accordingly.

Working from the assumption that a better understanding will evolve if future researchers have a solid understanding of the complexity of 'audience' and 'audiences' and of existing research traditions, the contributors to this handbook offer a wealth of research wisdom and expertise, depth of theoretical engagement with the field, and creativity in the imagination of research interventions. They insist that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' way of doing audience research, but that the field works best by identifying particular 'audience problems' and applying the best theories and research methods to solving them.

Placing the emphasis on technologies, theories, research methods and research pragmatics, this handbook brings together leading international scholars to provide a comprehensive overview of the complexity and diversity of audience studies.