Talking Voices: Word of Mouth for the World

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

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.

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…

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 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.

We’re pleased to be able to make several announcements at once regarding the future of the company.

Brian Greene and Sinéad Murnane from doop in Dublin, have been making a great success of Talking Voices Ireland. Both join the board of Directors.

Michael Franklin, formerly of TalkSPORT and The Wireless Group joins the board as Financial Director and corporate strategist.

One of the best-known podcasters in the world, Ewan Spence, the man behind the BAFTA-nominated Edinburgh Fringe podcast, presenter of TPN Rock podcast and radio station Leith FM joins Talking Voices. Ewan gives us a UK focus on conference coverage, a sector which has been thriving for us in Ireland.

Janet Parkinson who did so much hard work in establishing Talking Voices has stepped down as Managing Director but remains a stakeholder in the business.

Senior Producer Mark Hunter earlier this year was made an offer he could not refuse - running a Scotland-based company, Podcast Matters, where he takes on the role of MD, and we wish him good luck in his new venture.

And finally, we’re pleased to announce that the company is now operating from fully specified studio premises in Denmark Street, London.

The studio runs a Myriad radio playout system, and has ISDN, internet streaming, audio and video post-production, and very nice views of London’s West End.

Nice article in today’s Independent newspaper about Rob da Bank and the Sunday Best Podcast.

Continuation of the Radio Academy event, January 15th 2007, including questions from the floor.

 Radio Academy Podcast 2 [38:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On 15th January in London, UK, Radio Academy Director Trevor Dann hosted a seminal event about podcasting.

The panel included Nathalie Schwarz from Channel 4, Matt Wells, Head of Audio from Guardian Unlimited, Sarah Prag from the BBC, and noted independent radio / podcast producers Hermeet Chadha and Karen Pearson. The session covered many issues around podcasting, including definition, production values, regulation, culture, expectations of both listeners and viewers, metrics, and the commercial realities of making podcasting pay.Dean Whitbread from Talking Voices and the UK Podcasters Association takes part in the question and answer session in part two, talking about video and the Association for Downloadable Media initiative.

This podcast is in two parts, encoded at 96kbps, and currently not delivered via RSS, so we thought we’d oblige.

 Radio Academy Podcast 1 [36:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Brian Greene, Talking Voices’ podcasting, blogging and social media consultant in Ireland, was recently interviewed for the Irish Independent Newspaper speaking about the uses of podcasting in conferences and how the conference scene is changing.

“The recording and on-demand broadcasting of audio, is not just for those who can’t make it on the day”, he explains. “Now people are going to conferences to meet and greet other people and to network, not necessarily to attend the speeches.” Read more about it on the Talking Voices Ireland blog.