Annual Salary
£16,000 to £40,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Data & network or Software & systems or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Data & network or Software & systems or go back to all job sectors
Media researchers support producers by finding information, people and places for television or radio programmes.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
2.4% more Media researcher jobs in 2027.
On a typical day you could:
You could work in an office or at a TV studio.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
It's common for new researchers to have a degree in any subject, although it may be useful to do a degree in a relevant subject like:
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge, useful for this role. Relevant subjects include:
You'll usually need:
You can work towards this role by starting with an advanced apprenticeship as a broadcast production assistant.
You could start as an administrator, runner or production assistant in TV and work your way up.
To get contacts and experience you could:
You can apply directly to employers if you've got some of the relevant skills and knowledge needed for this role.
Work experience, contacts and the right skills are highly valued and it could be possible to enter without a degree.
You could also move into programme research if you've worked in journalism or had a research job in a non-media field, like social or political research.
You could do research training courses through a professional body like BECTU, the broadcast union. These are open to new starters as well as existing staff looking to progress.
You'll need to get practical experience of media production, and to develop a network of contacts in the industry.
For general areas, knowledge of current affairs and the media, plus evidence of lateral thinking and creative problem solving is useful.
Specialist knowledge and research experience may be needed for specific subjects or documentaries.
You can find out more about becoming a media researcher from ScreenSkills and organisations like:BBC Early Careers; Channel 4; ITV
With experience, you could supervise a research team on larger productions.
You could also move into an assistant producer role, or get into writing or directing.
You'll need to get practical experience of media production, and to develop a network of contacts in the industry.
For general areas, knowledge of current affairs and the media, plus evidence of lateral thinking and creative problem solving is useful.
Specialist knowledge and research experience may be needed for specific subjects or documentaries.
You can find out more about becoming a media researcher from ScreenSkills and BBC Careers.
You'll need: