And that's a key point. Performance data, statistics, analytics, reporting are not new, unrefined sciences; as a content editor for more than 10 years, before moving into Product Development, these tools have always been vital in setting the agenda and informing the editorial process.
Similarly - and this is an area that fascinates us at The Press Association - data can be used to build new products, services and stories. We're in an enviable position where we collect an enormous amount of data across a range of sectors and we're working hard behind the scenes to organise and structure that data so that it can become a part of the creative process - not just a hygiene factor.
Examples? We've turned our TV listings data into a set of TV discovery products under the FindMeTV banner (on web, iPhone and iPad) - with help from Vizimo, our technical partner - and we're already talking to our traditional customers and even brands about the exciting content possibilities (games, tools, etc) with our sports data.
For more on how the TV industry is taking a fresh look at data, see Jonathan Webdale's roundup of the C21 Future Media event at BAFTA - and follow him @webdaley on Twitter, he's always a good read.
