The article explores audience's theoretical profiles and the problems related to their measurements. It mentions the most recent definitions according to media and socio-economic theories (such as «extended audience») which show how traditional television public (mass, generalist, passive) has turned into a more articulated kind of public, within the framework of a TV experience which adopts more and more different languages and cultural platforms. A varied and diverse context not only in terms of products and services but also of access and consumption conditions, which underlines the importance of the so-called performing audience. From these considerations, it emerges the need for a re-thinking of quantitative analysis techniques and criteria, as well as of audience qualitative appreciation. This process of re-thinking would be of great help not only for advertising investors and new and old media industries, but also for social researchers.