MPAA Hopes to Get in Touch With Moviegoers

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has launched an online panel to conduct research on consumer opinions about issues related to the movie industry.

The panel, which the MPAA calls My Movie Muse, will ask consumers to participate in quarterly online surveys on topics like theater attendance, home video rental, advertisements and piracy. Surveys of the My Movie Muse panel can be addressed to the whole group or targeted to specific age groups and demographics. The primary goal of the panel is to provide the organization and its members with consistent, focused consumer intelligence, according to Dan Glickman, MPAA chairman and CEO.

“It is a dynamic time for the motion picture industry. The opportunities for innovative new distribution models, the competition from other entertainment sources and the transition to digital cinema and television make it ever more important for us to stay in close touch with consumers on the range of issues that affect us,” Glickman said in a statement. “Focused, consistent input from people outside the movie business can help better inform the industry during these evolving times.”

The decision to create the panel resulted from a year-long study commissioned by the MPAA, which examined consumer behaviors and attitudes toward movies, movie going and piracy. Glickman said the findings of that study showed that consumer opinions are changing rapidly and need to be monitored regularly. He also noted that giving consumers a voice in the movie industry would likely improve their attitudes toward the industry as a whole.

“In this age of participatory media, My Movie Muse will give consumers an opportunity to be heard,” Glickman said. “While 2006 has shown that great movies are reaching more people, we have to stay ahead of consumer trends and demands and My Movie Muse can help.”

My Movie Muse has launched with 7,500 participants, which the MPAA hopes to double by next year. Some of the original participants came from a panel-based research firm, which the MPAA did not name, while additional participants are being recruited on the MPAA Web site or at MyMovieMuse.com.