RTL: Understanding Millennial Viewing Behavior Using a Community

Within RTL, the Dutch branch of European Media Network RTL Group, Mirte van Deursen works as a Project leader in Research & Intelligence. Her colleague Kelly Batist works as a Junior Community Manager. In this article they share how an online community helps them understand millennial viewing behavior.

The Challenge

For broadcasters it is becoming increasingly important to know if the content they develop will attract a large enough audience. With people having so many choices over what, when and where to watch, it is key to understand what drives people to “tune-in”. Broadcasters are particular interested in millennial viewing behavior. because it seems to be a group that is hard to grasp.

Viewing Behavior Of Millennials

Millennial viewing behavior is a hot topic. Also for RTL, as Mirte explains.

“We wanted to know what was going on in the lives of 18-25 year olds. We figured that an online community platform could put us in touch with our audience and can give us opportunities to ask our them anything we wanted to, whenever we wanted to.”.

RTL used a community for a different topic before and wanted to try the same approach to this group.

“Having worked with CMNTY before, we had seen first hand that online communities were very effective methods for gaining insights from target audiences. Our previous success had made all of us excited to start our latest community; the WE ♥ VIDEO-community.” says Mirte.

The Solution

RTL has many different departments, i.e. branded content, spot, YouTube, Videoland online streaming services, program management). For the company as a whole it’s important that any audience related questions that exist across the board make their way to the market research division. The goal of that division is to deliver answers to questions the different departments have.