Podcasting Grows as Traditional Media and Advertisers Keep Up

A Nielsen Analytics survey said podcasts, while “still in nascent form,” continue to grow in popularity, forcing advertisers and traditional media outlets to adapt to the technology. Nielsen surveyed 1700 participants for its first quarter 2006 study, and The Economics of Podcasting is the latest in a series of reports on the “uber-media consumers” – consumers adopting media and technology trends.
About 6 percent of respondents described themselves as regular podcast downloaders. Of the active downloaders, 38 percent said they listen to the radio less often. While the survey found podcasts diverting listeners away from traditional media, it noted that traditional media outlets could use podcasts to extend its reach. Cable and broadcast networks convert episodes of their programs into short audio and video podcasts. Movie studios are considering podcasts to market films and DVDs, similar to Paramount’s “Nacho Libre” promotion
Successful podcasts garnering as many as two million downloads a month are attracting mainstream advertisers. However, a majority of the responders, or 60 percent, said they “always” fast-forward past the commercials, prompting advertisers to devise alternative methods, such as having hosts endorse the products or embedding the ads within the program’s content.
Nielsen noted podcast producers, distributors, and advertisers need accurate and comprehensive metrics to track audiences, to ask questions about content and who is listening. Without these metrics, podcasting will not reach its full potential. Of course, this is Nielsen’s way of saying, “we do it.”
Related: Nielsen Press Release

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