Mass Audience: popular/mainstream shows, e.g. soaps, which target a broad range  and of people like, men, women, adults, children. Television channels with a mass audience normally has a popular range of viewers. For example, programmes such as EastEnders, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. 

Niche Audience: Niche audience is the opposite to mass audience. This is a smaller group of people, which is selective based on a unique interest. For example; 'This is England' has a niche audience because it tends to aim to a specific audience whether big or small. 

The belief that audiences passively receive messages is long gone. Theorist Katz and Blumler discovered from researching into audiences that there were three main elements that provided audiences with either gratification or encouraged the use of1) InformationUsing sources such as newspapers to retrieve information about current events which satisfies curiosity gaining a sense of security through knowledge.2) Personal Identity Reinforcement for personal values, this is to find models of behaviour, insight into one's self. For example Twitter can reinforce your own values by only following that certain criteria in which you are relating to.3) Integration and Social interaction Insight into circumstances of others; social empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging, interaction,  enabling one to connect with family, friends and society. For example someone may tune into a TV drama so that they can relate and reinforce into their own lifestyle.

Why are audiences important?Audiences are important for various reasons, because firstly without audiences there would be no media. Secondly the mass media is becoming more competitive nowadays than ever to attract more and more audience in different ways in order to stay profitable. Also media organizations produce media texts to make profit this means that no audience will result into no profit which could potentially lead a company to bankruptcy.

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