Now we will no longer be running Arts Council England’s funded data service for English NPOs, we are introducing some changes to our data tools and services.
Our next generation insight offer, Audience Answers launched in April 2023. This flexible range of free and paid for online and in-person services is now our sole platform across the UK.
In the meantime, you can still use the Audience Finder Data Tools to complete your 2022/23 reporting until 31 May.
Please see our FAQ’s for changes so far:
- Am I required to submit my annual audience data report 2022/23 through the Audience Finder Data Tools?
- When is the 2022/23 Annual Reporting deadline?
- How do I make my annual report submission for 2022/23?
- How will 2023-2026 NPOs report audience figures to ACE?
- What will this mean for UK cultural benchmark data, Audience Spectrum and The Audience Agency’s other free support tools?
- Will I be able to continue to collect my audience data through The Audience Agency?
- Will Audience Spectrum be available for me to use?
- Will my historical data be transferred to PwC or Arts Council England?
- I have an Audience Finder survey set up which is due to expire after 31 March 2023, will I still be able to collect data?
- Can I set up an audience survey for 2023/24?
- Will Audience Finder groups still be available?
- I am an organisation based in Scotland and Wales; how will this affect me?
- Will your wider research and consultancy team still be available for us to work with?
If you would like to find out more about our bespoke services, please speak to us at workwithus@theaudienceagency.org
Am I required to submit my annual audience data report 2022/23 through the Audience Finder Data Tools?
The Audience Agency will continue to be funded by Arts Council England until summer 2023 to enable organisations to collect and submit 2022/23 audience/performance data as required.
If you are an existing National Portfolio Organisation, you will be required to submit your annual audience data for the 2022/23 financial year using the Audience Finder Data Tools as you have previously.
When is the 2022/23 Annual Reporting deadline?
The final deadline for setting up new survey, of any collection methodology, for data collection for 2022/23 is 31 March 2023.
If you are looking to submit external survey data which has not been collected through an Audience Finder survey, the final date for you to upload data this data is 5 May 2023.
You will then need to download and submit your 2022/23 Annual Report and/or Annual Summary to NPO.reporting@artscouncil.org.uk no later than 31 May 2023
How do I make my annual report submission for 2022/23?
To find out more about your Audience Finder reporting requirements based on your funding band, take a look at some frequently asked questions on our Knowledge Base.
- What are the annual funding requirements for Arts Council England NPOs?
- How do I produce my Arts Council England annual report?
How will 2023-2026 NPOs report audience figures to ACE?
Please see guidance provided by Arts Council England. If you have any further questions, please speak to your Relationship Manager.
What will this mean for UK cultural benchmark data, Audience Spectrum and The Audience Agency’s other free support tools?
As a not-for-profit charity organisation, our mission to support the UK culture sector has not changed. We will continue to nurture and develop our datasets for the whole of the UK and our benchmark data and cultural segmentation tools (Audience Spectrum) will continue to be the most accurate available to the sector.
In England, where we are no-longer subsidised to do this, we will continue to work with and collect benchmark data from across the sector who trust in our expertise and service, introducing affordable fees for the support we offer.
Our new Audience Answers toolkit is available from 19 April 2023. If you are not sure what the best options are for you, get in touch for a chat with our expert team to find out how we can help.
Will I be able to continue to collect my audience data through The Audience Agency?
Our audience data tools remain available for all arts and cultural organisations to use. Organisations will be able to continue to supply ticketing and survey data to The Audience Agency with insights available in new look dashboards, through our Audience Answers service.
We remain committed to offering national data and insights, and have introduced some affordable fees for the wider support we offer for our data tools.
2023-2026 NPO organisations will be able to collect audience data using any data collection tools they wish and upload them to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) system during the year. Please see ACE guidance for further information.
Will Audience Spectrum be available for me to use?
Audience Spectrum remains a market leading segmentation for the sector and is a core part of our offer, built, developed and owned by the Audience Agency.
We already have a range of affordable ways to use Audience Spectrum in your organisation including profiling and data tagging. If you are interested in understanding more about our Audience Spectrum products find out more here.
Will my historical data be transferred to PwC or Arts Council England?
No historical audience data will be transferred to PwC from The Audience Agency. Data remains owned by your organisation as the data owner.
I have an Audience Finder survey set up which is due to expire after 31 March 2023, will I still be able to collect data?
All 2022/23 Audience Finder surveys for NPO’s will be closed on 31 May 2023 to enable organisations to fulfil reporting requirements to Arts Council England.
Any Audience Finder surveys from organisations in Wales and Scotland will automatically be migrated to the new service by the end of April. Our team will be in touch with all organisations affected.
Can I set up an audience survey for 2023/24?
We are offering a new audience survey (with free and affordable paid for options) through our Audience Answers service in 2023/24.This will be available from week commencing 17 April.
If you would like to set up an audience survey for 2023/24 please speak to one of our team.
Will Audience Finder groups still be available?
Groups remain an important part of our work to support places and communities to thrive. If you’re part of an existing Audience Finder group, we assure you that we will deliver your reporting or benchmarks as required.
For organisations who wish to collectively report or compare audience data in the future, we are developing our groups and networks service, to help organisations better understand local engagement and monitor impact. Get in touch to talk about joining a Network.
I am an organisation based in Scotland and Wales; how will this affect me?
The Audience Agency continues to be contracted by the Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland to deliver the same free audience development and data support to all organisations in both nations, whether you receive funding or not. Contact our teams in Scotland and Wales to find out more.
Will your wider research and consultancy team still be available for us to work with?
Our research and consulting offer is unaffected, and our team of experienced consultants are available to support a range of client needs including: audience development strategies, bespoke segmentation, impact & evaluation, training and more.