Media Consumption: Have it Your Way

For longer than I can remember, we've preached that there has been no better time to be a program producer than right now. New delivery options grow as Satellite Radio, Video on Demand and the Internet (even with its rotten spam, viral outbreaks and phishing expeditions) continue to mature into viable vehicles that get programs noticed, delivered and consumed.

Thanks to TiVo, iPod and others of their ilk, we?re traveling down a road that leads to one unmistakable destination: A place where people can consume media when and where they want it. So, again I say, ?Let's give them what they want!?

Read on...

Consumers Are Changing the Way They Access Media, According to a New Study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research

Backchannelmedia, Mar 24, 06:47 AM

An Estimated 27 Million Americans Show a Heavy Preference to Control Their Media and Entertainment

NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumer media habits are changing as people watch video-on-demand services through their cable or satellite provider (10 percent in the past month), access news online (11 percent in the past month) and listen to Internet radio (37 million in the past month), according to a new study by Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) and Edison Media Research.

The study, Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer, finds that an estimated 27 million Americans own one or more on-demand media devices -- such as a TiVo(R)/DVR, iPod(R) or other portable MP3 player -- and also exhibit multiple behaviors that show a heavy tendency toward an on-demand media lifestyle.

The study focuses on devices and services that allow Americans to exercise more control over the media they consume:

* Twenty-seven percent of 12- to 17- year olds own an iPod or other
portable MP3 player.

* An estimated 43 million Americans choose to record TV programming to
watch at a different time (using technology such as a VCR or TiVo/DVR).

* Seventy-six percent of consumers own at least one DVD. Thirty-nine
percent own 20 or more DVDs in their personal collection.

* Awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17 percent
to 50 percent, while awareness of SIRIUS Satellite Radio has increased
even more significantly, from eight percent to 54 percent.

"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," said Bill Rose, senior vice president of Marketing, U.S. Media Services, Arbitron Inc. "Traditional and Internet broadcasters need to adjust their approaches to accommodate this increasingly important consumer segment."

"Consumers are taking more control over the media that they use, how they use them and when they use them," said Joe Lenski, executive vice president, Edison Media Research.

Additional findings from the study include:

* Those who use on-demand audio devices/services spend only slightly less
time listening to traditional radio compared to the average. The average
consumer spends approximately 2 hours 48 minutes per day listening to
traditional radio, compared with 2 hours 33 minutes per day among those
who owned iPods/portable MP3 devices, subscribed to satellite radio or
listened to Internet radio during the past week.

* Broadband connections are just as common as dial-up connections in
American households. Forty-eight percent of people with home Internet
access have broadband and 48 percent have dial-up service.

* The monthly Internet video audience is estimated to be approximately
35 million people; the weekly online video audience is nearly
20 million.

* The number of Americans who made a purchase from a Web site in the past
week has more than tripled, with four percent having purchased online in
the past week in 2001 compared to 14 percent in 2005.

* Ten percent of Americans with household income of $100,000 or more own a
hand-held wireless e-mail device such as a BlackBerry(R), compared to
three percent of Americans 12+.

The findings reported here are based on a January 2005 survey consisting of 1,855 telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of Arbitron's Fall 2004 radio diarykeepers. Since 1998, Arbitron and Edison Media Research have conducted 13 groundbreaking studies to find out about how consumers are using the Internet, streaming media and other new devices or services. This latest study, as well as previous studies, may be downloaded free of charge via the Arbitron and Edison Media Research Web sites at http://www.arbitron.com/ and http://www.edisonresearch.com/.

About Edison Media Research

Edison Media Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to radio stations, television stations, newspapers, cable networks, record labels, Internet companies and other media organizations.

Edison Media Research works with many of the largest American radio ownership groups, including Entercom, ABC Radio, Infinity, Bonneville and Westwood One, and also conducts strategic and perceptual research for a broad array of companies including AOL/Time Warner, Yahoo!, Sony Music, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Universal Music Group, Time-Life Music and the Voice of America. Edison Media Research also conducts research for successful radio stations in South America, Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe.
Beginning in 2004, Edison Media Research conducts all exit polls and election projections for the six major news organizations -- ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC and the Associated Press -- and designed and operated the CNN RealVote election projection system in 2002.

All of Edison Media Research's industry studies can be found on the company's Web site at http://www.edisonresearch.com/ and can be downloaded free of charge.

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Arbitron's core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The Company has also developed the Portable People Meter (PPM(SM)), a new technology for media and marketing research.

Arbitron's marketing and business units are supported by its research and technology organization, located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron has approximately 1,700 employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.

Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with VNU, Inc., Arbitron also provides media and marketing research services to the broadcast television, magazine, newspaper and online industries.

PPM(SM) is a service mark of Arbitron Inc.

All names are the property of their respective owners.

This press release is available on the Arbitron Web site at http://www.arbitron.com/ and the KCSA Web site at http://www.kcsa.com/. You may register to receive Arbitron's future press releases or to download a complete Digital Investor Kit(TM) including press releases, regulatory filings and corporate materials by clicking on the "Digital Investor Kit" icon at http://www.kcsa.com/

Source: Arbitron Inc.

CONTACT: Yin Chang, +1-212-896-1228, ychang@kcsa.com, or John McCartney, +1-212-896-1238, jmccartney@kcsa.com, both of KCSA Public Relations; or Jodie Kahn of Arbitron Inc., +1-212-887-1305, jodie.kahn@arbitron.com; or Jason Hollins of Edison Media Research, +1-908-707-4707, jhollins@edisonresearch.com

Web sites:
http://www.arbitron.com/
http://www.edisonresearch.com/
http://www.kcsa.com/

?2000-2005 Backchannelmedia.com. All rights reserved.

Baby Got Book

This made me laugh out loud. It's a parody of Sir Mix-a-lot's famously tasteless "Baby Got Back." Sample lyric...

"I like big Bibles I can not lie, / You Christian brothers can?t deny, / When a girl walks in with a KJV* / And a bookmark in proverbs, You get stoked"

Brent, this one's for you!

Erring on the Side of Life

Much has been written and said about the very sad Terri Shiavo case. But one of the most original and powerful musings I've read came via James Lileks today. However, it will make the most sense to fans of the old, original Star Trek series.

Read it!

New Travel Search Site

The folks at AOL are testing a new travel search site that comparison shops various providers for you. It bypasses other consolidators/aggregators like Travelocity and Expedia and goes directly to the providers.

Frequent travelers (like me) may want to check it out.

Giant Robot Insect

Well not exactly. But check out this video of a new walking machine designed to help harvest trees. Very cool!

Cartoon Skeletons

Ever wonder about Charlie Brown's or Hello Kitty's skeletal structure? Me neither. But here you go.

Back in the USSA

Just returned from a quick trip to "the North of England" as they say over there. As always, I found the people there lovely and the (spiritual) atmosphere oppressive.

As a souvenir, I brought back the mother-of-all-headcolds which has now overlaid the usual jet lag for a particularly nice effect.

Enough whining. Here's a picture of a cool place I like to visit when I'm there! View image

Durham Cathedral...only 1000 years old

The Best of Eyetrack III

As a follow-up to yesterday's entry, I wanted to post a link to more eye-tracking study findings that I came across.

Here is a choice nugget from the study:
"The Eyetrack III researchers discovered something important when testing headline and type size on homepages: Smaller type encourages focused viewing behavior (that is, reading the words), while larger type promotes lighter scanning. In general, our testing found that people spent more time focused on small type than large type. Larger type resulted in more scanning of the page -- fewer words overall were fixated on -- as people looked around for words or phrases that captured their attention."

Click here for the full article.

Eyetrack Study

It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which search engine results are favored among web users. However, it always helps to have scientific research on your side.

Search marketing firms Enquiro and Did-it along with eye tracking firm Eyetools did a recent study which revealed a significant difference in how people "scan" search results. The image below demonstrates the data obtained from the study and what was later coined as an "F" shaped scan pattern by web users.

Notice how the "organic" search results are overwhelmingly favored compared to the paid listings. This simply says that search engine marketing needs to have a strategic balance.

If nothing else maybe that eye-scan image could find some use over at weather.com, no?

More info on the research can be found via searchenginewatch.com.

Teen Faith: It Makes a Difference

A remarkable study (and ensuing book) about faith among America's teens holds some pretty intersting findings.

First a "majority of American teens believe in God and worship in conventional congregations, but their religious knowledge is remarkably shallow."

However... "The research found that devout teens hold more traditional sexual and other values than their nonreligious counterparts and are better off in emotional health, academic success, community involvement, concern for others, trust of adults and avoidance of risky behavior."

Thought for the Day

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." --Mark Twain