Podcasts Boost Radio Audiences, Says UK Industry Researcher
All of the RAJAR-commissioned data reported in this Guardian article is pretty good news for the humble podcast, with one exception: “Although podcasts were popular with listeners, media organisations have found difficulty turning them into significant moneyspinners”.
Agreed - media organisations, with top-down attitudes and old-media thinking continue to invest in podcasting as part of their new media landgrab, without adopting new models for monetization, and without investing time and energy into the relationships that will make podcasting work outside its place as an adjunct to their existing broadcast or publishing output.
Meanwhile, many small to medium-sized businesses and institutions, unhampered by large overheads and “old media” attitudes, continue to find enterprising ways to employ podcasting and to generate revenue from podcasting, using both B2B and B2C models, dosed liberally with the old fashioned “let’s try things out and see what works” methodology.
“According to the survey, 6 million people in the UK have now downloaded a podcast - up from 4.3 million in November 2007. And 3.7 million now say they listen to a podcast each week, up from 1.87 million in last year’s survey.
The average podcast user subscribes to 3.6 podcasts and spends just over an hour a week listening to them. Comedy and music continue to be the two favourite genres.
iTunes remains the preferred software for almost three-quarters of users who subscribe to podcasts, while a fifth simply download directly from the website via their browser.
According to the survey, 79% of people listen to podcasts on their home computer and 66% listen via a portable audio/mp3 player.
Podcasting appears to also have a marginally positive effect on live radio listening. Almost 15% said they listened to more live radio since they began downloading podcasts.
While 10% stated they listened to less live radio after starting to download podcasts, 39% said they were now listening to radio programmes they did not listen to previously.” (Guardian)
Download the research PDF here.
BECTU at BAFTA
Dean Whitbread from Talking Voices spoke today as part of the Digital Futures panel for BECTU’s Freelancers’ Fair.
Here’s an embedded player which uses content from Phreadz (a threaded multi-media social network currently in closed beta) and Qik (live mobile streaming) which contains the presentation from two different angles - plus replies to the thread as they come in on video.
Many thanks to Philip from Viacom for his impromptu camera work…
As promised to the attendees, here are the links to the websites mentioned:
Our Man Inside - Tony Benn interview
Blogger Advocacy - Creative Choices
Skitch - use of Seesmic by Christian Payne
John Cleese’s Spanking New Headcast
Rise and Shine - interactive show by Daily Song Ltd.
Creative Choices Campaign Launches
We’re very pleased that our carefully assembled team of “creative ambassadors” has now started working as advocates for an excellent new UK government initiative supporting our creative industries - Creative Choices.
Christian Payne has produced some excellent responses using multiple channels including Seesmic, Qik, Twitter and Skitch - this last of which was a really clever secondary use of video blogging, which sparked another productive thread in the conversation. What is really impressive is that Christian’s considered approach has generated instant sign ups from leading UK creatives, a tangible early result.
The Great PR Debate
In 1972 the advertising industry was seen as “innately immoral” and took steps to become self-regulated. Is PR at the same stage now? Adele McAlear asks the question using the new video network, Phreadz (still closed as yet).
PR Secrets
A very interesting article over on Techcrunch about modern ways of operating PR in the era of social media. Typical excerpt:
Secret #12
Follow the Conversations and Join InAs much as media and blogger relations drive traffic and increase your user base, we can’t overlook the importance of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Diigo, FriendFeed, Ning, Mixx, Bebo, Get Satisfaction, Google and Yahoo Groups (among many, many others). When executed and managed correctly, and genuinely, the referring numbers can outperform the best articles and posts and the relationships that you create within these networks will prove incredibly valuable throughout the life of your company.
This isn’t about promotion or social network spam. This is about dialog driven by the insight you garner from listening to and reading the people who are talking about your company – with or without your direct participation.
At the time of writing, there are 86 comments, including video comments, so make yourself a cuppa before you start reading!
Podcasting Growth “Massive” - Universal McCann
New research from leading ad agency Universal McCann shows that “new media” is now actually mainstream media.
The comparative study looks at social media trends through three “waves”:
- Wave 1 - September 2006
- Wave 2 - June 2007
- Wave 3 - March 2008
Research highlights:
- Social media is a global phenomenon happening in all markets regardless of wider economic, social and cultural development.
- Asian markets (not including Japan) are leading in terms of participation, creating more content than any other region
- All social media platforms have grown significantly over the three Waves: Video Clips are the quickest growing platform, up from 31% penetration in Wave 1 to 83% in Wave 3
- 57% have joined a Social Network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content: 55% of users have uploaded photos, 22% of users have uploaded videos
- The widget economy – 23% of social network users have installed an application – 18% of bloggers have installed applications in their blog templates
- Blogs are a mainstream media world-wide and a collective rival to traditional media (184m bloggers world-wide, China has the largest blogging community in the world with 42m bloggers) – 73% have read a blog, 45% have started a blog
- Social media has strong impacts over brand’s reputation – 34% post opinions about products and brands on their blog – 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs
The report offers additional details on Internet media use:
Video Sharing:
- Brazil leads on 68%, Asian countries dominate (not including Japan)
- Significant variation in involvement (Hungary 16% < Brazil 68%).
- High frequency of involvement: 20% are uploading every day
Watching video clips:
- Growth is universal across all countries (31% to 82% global reach seen in all markets)
- Lowest difference between markets of any social media platform (Range 63% – 99%)
- Very high frequency medium: 71% weekly reach
Downloading podcasts
- Growth massive between Waves 2 and 3 (from 21% to 49% world-wide).
- China is the world’s biggest podcast market (74% use, with an estimated 45m users)
- Actively involved medium: 18% listen and download everyday
Methodology:
Universal McCann Wave 3 survey was conducted on 17,000 internet users in 29 countries and was completed in March 2008.
Source: Universal McCann (pdf)
via Podcasting News
Audio Podcast Listening Jumps Significantly
Tom Webster at ADM reports on the continuing rise of podcasting in the United States:
This year, our third annual Podcast Consumer Revealed report (derived from the 2008 Arbitron/Edison Media Research Internet and Multimedia study) details significant gains in both audio and video podcast consumption. The audience for downloadable media is not only growing, but also represents a very attractive target for advertising. Our national data shows that more than one in five Americans have ever downloaded and watched/listened to a podcast, which breaks down further to 18% of Americans having ever listened to an audio podcast, and 16% having ever watched a video podcast. Those numbers are up sharply from last year’s figures, which were 13% and 11%, respectively. Nine percent of Americans 12+ have listened to an audio podcast in the past month, and those 23 million Americans are affluent, spend lots of time (and money!) online, and are increasingly more difficult to target with interruption advertising.
ADM Moves To Establish Podcast Metrics
The Association for Downloadable Media has opened up two key metrics for public comment and debate - Ad Units and Download Measurement.
Your comments are requested…
Podcasting, Rights and Music
Saturday March 29th 2008 at the Guardian newspaper, London, UK, in a seminar entitled Podcasting, Rights and Music the UK Podcasters Association hosted a seminar highlighting both the impact of legislation upon podcasters and media producers, and also outlining an established legal framework for fully licensed music podcasting.
Becky Hogge from the Open Rights Group lead a meaningful session on how TV regulation threatens to spill over to internet.
Dean Whitbread from UKPA moderated a panel on music rights in which speakers from the MCPS-PRS (the UK performing rights organisation representing writers and publishers) and the head of digital for the Association of Indepedent Music laid out the now more affordable and less rigid schemes designed to give podcasters access to their extensive repertoire of music.
Read more here on UK Podcasters Association website.
UKPA Meets ORG at Guardian March 29th 2008
UKPA is hosting a seminar on rights with the Open Rights Group at the Guardian, Farringdon, London, Saturday March 29th 2pm - 5pm.
Becky Hogge and Matt Wells (heads of ORG and Guardian Audio respectively) will be there, as well as representatives from MCPS-PRS and AIM (Association of Independent Music).
ORG will discuss how the EU AVMS Directive could impact negatively upon podcasting (if we let it) and generally explain the current issues facing podcasters as they see them. In the second session, we’ll cover new developments in music and podcasting.
There will be an opportunity afterwards to eat, drink and socialise at a local pub.
Attendance is strictly limited to 50, and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Sorry but due to security, no tickets are available “on the door” - all places must be booked in advance by March 22nd 2008.
This event is free to UKPA and ORG members.
Still some places left - click here for details.
