ITV

Tag: Podcasting

  • Podcasting in the US gaining momentum

    Podcasting in the US gaining momentum

    MUMBAI: More than six per cent of American adultsor about nine million web users, have downloaded podcasts in the past month, according to The Economics of Podcasting, a report released by Nielsen Analytics.

    In a first quarter 2006 study, conducted by Nielsen Analytics at Nielsen Entertainment Television testing facilities in Las Vegas, more than 1700 participants were surveyed on their podcasting usage. About six per cent of
    respondents described themselves as regular podcast downloaders — more than 75 per cent of whom were male. The findings show that a significant percentage, approximately 38%, of active podcast downloaders say they are
    listening to radio less often.

    Nielsen Analytics GM, senior VP Larry Gerbrandt says, “The incredible popularity of podcasting is the latest demonstration of consumers’ willingness to take control of their media experiences. While essentially still in nascent form, podcasts offer free audio and video content that is inexpensive to create, easy to access and on a portable platform that has already reached mass distribution. This
    exciting new medium has only just begun to stretch its legs.”

    The Economics of Podcasting is the latest in a series of reports from Nielsen Analytics on the “uber-media consumers” who lead the media industry in terms of trends and technology.

    Key findings include

    * The most successful podcasts are garnering as many as two million downloads a month, enabling them to attract mainstream advertising. An example — Dixie Paper Company now sponsors the Mommycast Podcast Series starring Gretchen Vogelzang and Paige Heninger.

    * Overall, 60 per cent of respondents surveyed said they ‘always’ fast forward past commercials in their podcasts. Women were more likely to fast forward than men, with 67% saying they always fast forward.

    * Given the ability to skip commercials, advertisers are already devising more effective means to reach consumers, such as embedding their messages within the program content or having podcast hosts endorse their products and services.

    * The survey found that the average length of the podcasts being listened to was 44 minutes. This may change with the growing popularity of video podcasts, which generally tend to be shorter.

    * 72 per cent of respondents who regularly download podcasts say that they download an average of one to three podcasts per week. About 10 per cent of all podcast downloaders could be characterized as “heavy users”, downloading eight or more podcasts a week.

    The Business of Podcasting

    Among key findings of The Economics of Podcasting are that podcasts differ from other forms of online media delivery, such as conventional streaming and downloading. Like their largely text-based counterparts —
    blogs — podcasts are being adapted by a broad range of businesses and organizations.
    Among the various users:

    * Cable and broadcast networks are converting episodes of some of their linear programs into cost-effective, short audio and video podcasts to serve as previews and promotions.

    * Movie studios are exploring the potential of podcasting to market films and DVDs, such as a recent podcast promoting Paramount’s Nacho Libre that features its star, Jack Black.

    * Financial service firms, such as McDonald Investments and The Motley Fool, offer free podcasts on a variety of finance-related subjects.

    * The online travel agency, Orbitz, offers audio descriptions of travel destinations as a marketing tool.

    * With laptops and portable media players as ubiquitous on college campuses as textbooks, professors are making their lectures and class
    notes available as podcasts.

    Measuring Podcast Usage
    The findings of this study also point to the importance of measuring podcast usage, so advertisers and the media industry will have a
    comprehensive picture of who is using this innovative digital multimedia content.

    Gerbrandt adds, “For podcasting to reach its full potential, we will have to find the best ways to keep track of its audiences. That means
    developing accurate and comprehensive metrics that will allow podcast producers, distributors and advertisers to answer questions like: ‘Who are we reaching?’ ‘With what kinds of content?’ ‘When and how often?’”

    To that end, Nielsen Media Research, as part of its recently announced Anywhere Anytime Media Measurement (A2M2) initiative, is launching several projects that will explore how best to collect and measure podcasting data.

    The first project, to be launched this fall, will measure a panel of 400 iPod users by utilizing a software application that can be downloaded onto a PC and interface with iTunes software.

    Each time an iPod is connected to a computer to sync with iTunes, Nielsen will record all
    content accessed, and will provide detailed usage information. Starting in the second half of 2007, Nielsen also will begin testing
    its “Solo Meters” for portable media devices. The new meters will track audio and video usage on mobile platforms, whether users connect via BlueTooth(R) technology or a wired headset.

  • Podcasting growing in the US: Nielsen survey

    Podcasting growing in the US: Nielsen survey

    MUMBAI: Nielsen//NetRatings, which works in the field of Internet media and market research has announced that 6.6 per cent of America’s adult online population, or 9.2 million Web users, have recently downloaded an audio podcast

    Four per cent, or 5.6 million Web users, have recently downloaded a video podcast. These figures put the podcasting population on a par with those who publish blogs, 4.8 per cent, and online daters, 3.9 per cent. However, podcasting is not yet nearly as popular as viewing and paying bills online, 51.6 per cent, or online job hunting, 24.6 per cent.

    For the uninitiated podcasting is a relatively new technology that enables users to quickly and easily download multimedia files, including audio and video, for playback on mobile devices including iPods and other MP3 players, as well as cell phones.

    Nielsen//NetRatings analyst Michael Lanz says, “The portability of podcasts makes them especially appealing to young on-the-go audiences. We can expect to see podcasting become increasingly popular as portable content media players proliferate”.

    As is often typical with new technologies, young people are more likely than their older counterparts to engage in audio or video podcasting. Web users between the ages 18 and 24 are nearly twice as likely as the average Web user to download audio podcasts, followed by users in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups, who were also more likely than the average Web user to do audio podcasting.

    Video podcasters showed 25-34 year olds indexing the highest. Web users above the age of 45 were less likely than average to engage in podcasting of either sort. Since the popularity of Apple’s iPod is largely responsible for the spread of podcasting, not surprisingly podcasters enjoy using Apple products and visiting Apple Web sites. For example, audio and video podcasters are over three times as likely as the average Web user to use Apple’s Safari as their primary Internet browser.

    Among audio podcasters, Macworld is the most-visited content site, with a composition index of 606 (see Table 4). Apple and iTunes are the No. 2 and 3 e-commerce sites visited by audio podcasters, with composition indexes of 455 and 396, respectively. The Apple connection is not as clear for video podcasters, who flock to Startrek.com among content sites, with an index of 864. Live365.com and eMusic are the two most popular e-commerce sites for video podcasters, with indexes of 730 and 656, respectively.

    Lanz adds, “Competitors to the iPod are now in the marketplace, but Apple got a big head start. It will take time before other portable media players make significant in-roads with the early-adopters who are currently podcasting”.

  • Consumers ‘quickly’ embrace radio’s digital platforms; Study

    Consumers ‘quickly’ embrace radio’s digital platforms; Study

    MUMBAI: The proliferation of digital broadcast platforms such as Internet radio, satellite radio, HD and podcasting is a testament to the popularity of radio programming in US.

    The Infinite Dial: Radio’s Digital Platforms, a new study by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research, explores this expansion of the radio market and its implications for advertisers and media planners.

    “Consumers are quickly embracing radio’s digital platforms and this new research reveals that these advertising vehicles are becoming increasingly viable,” said Arbitron Sr VP marketing Bill Rose.

    “Our research shows that regardless of the platform consumers see all these options as merely being new forms of ‘radio’” said Edison Media Research president Larry Rosin. “This report provides crucial measurement on the development of radio as it is consumed in new and different ways.”

    The findings reported here are based on a 13 January – 12 February, 2006 telephone survey of 1,925 people who were interviewed to investigate Americans’ use of various forms of traditional, online and satellite media.

    Growth of Internet Radio
    Internet radio is growing rapidly. The monthly audience age 12+ now tops an estimated 52 million; an increase from an estimated 37 million people in 2005. The weekly Internet radio audience also increased 50 percent over the past year, with 12 percent of the US population age 12+ (an estimated 30 million) having listened to Internet radio in the past week, up from 8 percent in 2005, according to the findings.

    Advertiser highlights: Online radio reaches nearly one in five (19 percent) persons per week aged 18-34 and 15 per cent of persons aged 25-54. Weekly Online radio listeners are 36 percent more likely than the average consumer to live in a household with an annual income of more than $100,000.

    Satellite Radio In 2006, awareness of XM and Sirius satellite radio has reached equal levels of 61 percent awareness each among those aged 12 and older. Nearly one in five non-subscribers to satellite radio say they are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ likely to subscribe to satellite radio in the next 12 months.

    Advertiser highlights: Twenty-seven per cent of satellite radio subscribers live in households with an annual income of more than $100,000, nearly double the percentage of all households (14 per cent).

    Podcasting When asked to define podcasting in their own words, there was some confusion among respondents regarding the differences among podcasting, Internet broadcasting and downloadable music. When read a definition, eleven percent of Americans say that they have ever listened to an audio podcast.

    Advertising highlights: Podcasting attracts a youthful audience: one out of five who have ever listened to an audio podcast are 12-17 years old, and more than half (53 percent) are under the age of 35.

    HD Radio More than one-third of Americans say they are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ interested in HD Radio; more than 40 percent of satellite subscribers say they are interested in HD Radio as well.

    More than one-third of those who said they were interested in HD Radio say they would be likely to purchase an HD Radio receiver at a $100 price point, and 58 percent of those interested say they would be likely to purchase at $50.

    AM/FM Radio While there has been tremendous growth in usage of radio’s new digital platforms, AM/FM radio does not appear to be losing Time Spent Listening (TSL). Daily radio TSL is 2 hours 45 minutes for the average consumer, compared with 2 hours 48 minutes among those who listen to digital radio.

    Seventy-seven per cent of Americans say they expect to listen to AM/FM radio as much as they do now despite increasing advancements in technology. The same holds true for Internet radio listeners (77 per cent) and those who have tried audio podcasting (73 per cent). Satellite radio subscribers showed slightly less dedication to traditional broadcasting, with 64 per cent saying they plan to continue listening to the same amount of AM/FM radio.

    This study, as well as previous studies, may be downloaded free of charge via the Arbitron and Edison Media Research Web sites at www.arbitron.com and www.edisonresearch.com.