The main research areas addressed by the Institute are: the organization and the strategies adopted by media companies, operating both with new and traditional media (internet, press, cinema, radio, television); the historical development of the production processes and the functions of media within the relative socio-political, economic and cultural contexts; the analysis, also from an historical perspective, of the consumption modalities of media products within different markets and by different social groups; the evolution of media professions, with particular regard to journalism.
Moreover, the two observatories within the Institute, contribute to the research: the European Journalism Observatory (EJO) develops ongoing research on the dynamics within the publishing and the journalism's areas, whereas the China Media Observatory (CMO) investigates the economic and socio-political development of media in China.