Learning from Documentary Audiences: A Market Research Study

In a shifting marketplace, the documentary industry will benefit from better understanding the viewing habits of Canadians with respect to documentaries, especially as the Internet becomes a credible source for viewers to decide which films to watch. It is in this context that this study on the viewing habits of documentary audiences was conducted.

The overall goals of this research were:

1. To conduct a market scan of the current documentary offerings available to Canadian audiences;
2. To discover the transactional habits of documentary audiences; and
3. To identify where, when, why and how documentary audiences are viewing and sharing documentary information and content.

This report is based on a literature review as well as on primary audience research in the form of a national online survey conducted with Canadian documentary audiences. It is also based on focus group sessions held with documentary enthusiasts in five Canadian locations.