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8 Truths of Internet Radio


       

 
 

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The 8 Truths of Internet Radio
Audience Measurement

 

  • Page views DO NOT measure listeners
    A page view is a unit for measuring Web readership. It is the count of how many times a web page is requested. Streaming Servers measure listeners who listen to the audio stream. Not all listeners who visit a web page listen to the Internet radio stream.

  • Streaming servers DO NOT measure all listeners if station is simulcast and/or syndicated on other distribution channels
    A streaming server measures listeners but if a station is connected to outside distribution channels like WiFi, Mobile, ITunes, private radio networks or Microsoft's Radio Tuner the stream that is picked up looks like one (1) listener to the streaming server when in fact it could be thousands.

  • An age old radio brand name DOES NOT necessarily mean they have more listeners on their Internet stations than an Internet Radio Streaming Station
    Listeners have the power of choice and there are hundreds of thousands of web radio stations that reach their targeted niche markets. The terrestrial radio industry has only taken Internet radio seriously over the last 2 years. 24/7 Internet radio networks that have been in place for 7 or more years have more loyal listeners since they have been in the marketplace longer.

  • Internet audio listening has surpassed AM/FM terrestrial radio
    According to the Arbitron/Edison 'The Infinite Dial 2010' study Internet Audio listening has now surpassed AM/FM terrestrial listening.

  • Podcasts DO NOT provide more listeners than an Internet Radio Stream
    Internet streaming radio usually provides 24/7 live coverage with multiple hosts, on demand listening and podcast download options. Internet Radio's average listener TSL (Time Spent Listening) is 2-3 hours.
    A podcast is usually a 1-hour audio program available live at a specific time and/or made available as a download. A podcast's average TSL (Time Spent Listening) is 3-5 minutes at the top of the hour.

  • Outside audience measuring services DO NOT provide real numbers
    Based on a small audience sampling for a particular genre, usually music, extrapolated numbers are used to determine audience measurement. For example, the Arbitron/Edison 'The Infinite Dial 2010' did a telephone survey of 1,753 people, age 12 and older, to provide statistical information about the radio music industry. Internet Radio has an audience of over 72 million Internet listeners a week. This sampling is much less than even 1% of the audience size and has no relevance for talk radio at all.

  • Demographics are suspect unless station has its own collection method
    Each station is usually unique because of niche market genres and marketing efforts. Real demographic info comes from a station's data gleaned from their own data collection methods such as a clubhouse, surveys or polls.

  • Pre-roll video ads on Internet radio stations lose listeners
    Americans and Internet Users - WANT IT NOW!. There are 100s of 1000s of Internet radio sites to choose from. If a radio station website delays the audio stream, which is what the listener wants and is expecting to hear, the listener will usually click off the site or get frustrated waiting for the audio stream to start, resulting in an unsatisfactory user experience.