This interim report details the initial lessons from the 10 Nesta funded hyperlocal projects, and builds on our research on demand for hyperlocal media.

Key findings:

• Capturing audience attention and generating revenues are the key areas of challenge for the sector
• The Destination Local services generate more than economic value to their shareholders
• Understanding how services are being used is important for those seeking to increase the reach and impact of their service
• The Destination Local projects are continuing to experiment with business models to secure financial sustainability
• HTML5 mobile-friendly services may be a better option for many hyperlocal media services rather than creating a single 'native' mobile or tablet app

This interim report provides practitioners with some practical recommendations derived from our findings on hyperlocal media so far. In addition, it also includes some recommendations for public authorities, which can play a significant role in helping to foster civic engagement via hyperlocal media.

The report sets out our initial findings from the Destination Local prototype projects. Throughout the report we also draw on evidence from our externally commissioned research and from additional research we have undertaken in-house at Nesta.

We believe that the evidence gathered in this report is representative of issues faced by many hyperlocal media producers and is therefore worthy of publication at an interim stage in order to share lessons for the benefit of the sector.

Authors

Mark Pearson, Jon Kingsbury and Deborah Fox