Nielsen

Nielsen To Market Edison Research’s Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics

~ jen

Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, announced that it will market Edison Research’s Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics services to advertising agencies.

Edison’s Share of Ear is a highly regarded and widely cited service that provides deep insights about the complete audio landscape, including broadcast radio, streaming, podcasting, downloaded audio, smart speakers, and other sources of audio content. Edison has conducted Share of Ear studies in multiple waves each year since 2014. Edison Podcast Metrics measures persons-based listening estimates using frequently updated surveys to provide a complete view of the rapidly growing podcast audience.

Nielsen is committed to providing a complete view of the unduplicated audience across multiple platforms. Edison Podcast Metrics and Share of Ear services complement and support this vision by providing advertising agencies with a holistic view of audio and podcasting today. Edison services will be offered as part of Nielsen’s portfolio of audio and podcasting solutions, including Podcast Buying Power and Podcast Ad Effectiveness studies, that support investment decisions in the ever-changing podcast ecosystem.

“The media landscape is evolving quickly and agencies have a vital need to understand how all the media puzzle pieces fit together,” said Jon Kaiser, Head of Nielsen’s Agency and Advertiser-direct businesses. “Edison’s insights are best in class and Nielsen is excited to work together with them to provide media planners and buyers with deep insights into the total audio landscape and the rapidly growing podcasting audience.”

“Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics provide advertising agencies and clients with incredibly rich data about the total audio universe,” said Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research. “We are excited to work with Nielsen to grow the audio space by providing information about the total audio audience to planners and buyers.”

The Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics services are based on surveys of persons aged 13 and older in the United States, and are updated four times a year. Agencies interested in learning more about Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics should contact a Nielsen representative.

45% Of Podcast Listeners Started Listening To Podcasts In The Past Year

~ jen

Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company has unveiled the results of new podcast listener research conducted in collaboration with Nielsen. The study of 2,002 UK and Irish adults who consume podcasts at least monthly found that 45% of listeners started listening to podcasts in the past year, proving that the podcast landscape is rich with opportunities for brands and podcasters to reach new audiences.

According to the findings, there’s also untapped potential in the younger generations – despite typically being a medium associated with Millenial audiences, 53% of 18-34-year-old podcast listeners only starting to do so in the past year. In comparison, 65% of over 55s started listening more than 12 months ago.

More than a third (37%) of respondents said they listen to podcasts every day, while more than two thirds (70%) engage with podcast content more than once a week – but listeners also said they expect to increase their podcast consumption in the next six months.

Almost a third (32%) of those surveyed said they plan to listen to more podcast during this time. That’s higher than the 25% who said they expect to increase the amount of music they stream, and the 27% who plan to spend more time streaming video content.

For advertisers, an engaged and loyal podcast audience is also one more likely to interact with brand messaging they might hear, with 62% of respondents saying they’ve taken direct action following an advert they heard in a podcast.

31% said they considered or purchased the brand/product mentioned. 26% advocated for (read/wrote/discussed positively) it, 24% followed it on social media, and 24% searched for more information.

That makes podcasts an incredibly attractive prospect for any media plan. And the listen-through rate (LTR) from respondents is equally impressive – for episode 30-45 minutes long, 41% of listeners say they listen to either “most” or “about half”, confirming pre-roll and mid-roll ad placements as great ways to reach listeners. For podcasts downloaded to a listener’s personal device, rather than streamed, 71% will listen to “all” or “most” of an episode.

Podcasts are also seen as a trusted source of information – and listeners ranked them much higher in this respect than other media platforms. According to the study, 36% trust what they hear from a podcast host when talking about a brand or company, compared to just 18% for radio.

Crucially for advertisers, podcasts have low levels of advertising fatigue compared to other types of media. The research indicates that just 29% of listeners say there are too many ads on podcasts, compared to 52% who say there are too many on YouTube, and 37% who say there are too many on Radio. Given podcasts have one of the lowest ad loads of all mediums, this provides further opportunities for advertisers to continue to build their campaigns around podcasting – and to have a greater share of voice within individual shows.

Additional key findings reveal that listeners enjoy various aspects of podcasts:

70% of listeners say they enjoy listening to guest interviews

63% of listeners say they enjoy listening to panel discussions

56 % of listeners say they enjoy listening to host banter

News, Music and Comedy content are most frequently consumed, with half of podcast listeners listening to Comedy shows every week.

“Podcasts are an increasingly important part of life and culture for listeners all around the world, and more people are discovering podcasts for the first time every year,” says Leo Goldingham, Director of Sales, UK at Acast. “We trust our favorite podcasters to entertain and inform us – just as much as we trust them to recommend brands and products we’ll enjoy.

“Podcasts have become an integral part of thousands of brands’ marketing strategies but, together with Nielsen, our research shows there are still huge opportunities for advertisers to reach untapped audiences.”

Neilsen’s “Podcasting Today” Report Reveals Insights for Ad Marketers

~ jen

Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, released the third installment of its Podcasting Today report. The latest edition highlights the significant growth in podcast audiences and content, and how brands and advertisers can utilize the medium to amplify reach and ROI.

Podcasting Today revealed that the number of podcast titles and episodes have increased by 200% each over the last two years (2 million and 92 million, respectively), and over 50% of daily podcast consumers listen more often to more titles, adding to the potential of increased audience reach. The report also found that podcast listeners are more likely to plan a major purchase within 12 months – such as new technology, home entertainment, or a vehicle – and 88% of these consumers are willing to consider a new brand, making podcast advertisements a useful tool for marketers looking to drive upper-funnel engagement.

Nielsen Podcast Ad Effectiveness insights found that podcast ads drive an aided brand recall rate of 71%, while 56% of podcast listeners say they pay more attention to ads read by the host(s).

“Nielsen’s unique suite of podcasting solutions enable brands and marketers to understand the behaviors of podcast listeners, which leads to reaching the right consumers and driving ROI,” said Arica McKinnon, VP, Brand Impact Solutions, Nielsen. “The Podcasting Today report reveals the massive growth observed in podcast consumers and content, and the impact Nielsen’s podcasting solutions could have on brand awareness, audience reach, and overall engagement.”

With the Podcasting Today report identifying a 40% increase in podcasting’s listener base since 2018, the medium has become an effective way to reach new and existing customers, and marketers are taking note. Nielsen’s 2022 Annual Marketing Report found that 56% of marketers in North America plan to increase their podcast spending over the next year, and 15% of marketers plan to increase their podcast spending by 50% or more in the same timeframe.

Using the Nielsen data and solutions that underpin this edition of Podcasting Today, marketers can gain in-depth knowledge into various brand performance and listener engagement metrics. Armed with these insights, marketers will be better toward meeting their individual KPIs while simultaneously understanding the returns of their efforts.

Acast and Nielsen: US Podcast Fans Are Spending Even More Time Listening

~ jen

Acast, the global power source for podcasting, unveiled the results of new podcast listener research conducted in partnership with Nielsen. The study of 2,000 US adults who consume podcasts at least monthly found that 52% increased the amount of time they spent listening over the past six months.

According to the findings, in the past six months consumption of podcasts has increased more so than most other media – especially when compared to other audio-based media. Versus the 52% of listeners who said they increased podcast consumption, the figures for online radio (36%), AM/FM radio (36%) and audio books (33%) were less encouraging.

With consumption on the rise, the podcast landscape is rich with opportunities for brands and podcasters to reach new audiences. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said they started listening to podcasts in the past year, with listeners in the 18-34 range the most likely to have discovered podcasts during that time. That same age group is proving to be a loyal audience, with 79% saying they now listen to podcasts multiple times a week.

The research also shows that podcasting is an undersaturated market, and that consumers desire more content than is being produced. For example, three quarters of respondents say they listen to podcasts weekly – but just 43% of podcasts currently publish in a weekly cadence.

The study went on to explore listener attitudes toward podcast advertising, revealing that there are low levels of advertising fatigue compared to other types of media. Just 25% of listeners say there are too many ads on podcasts, compared to 50% who say there are too many commercials on cable TV. And, according to the study, 76% listen to ads – while 73% say they take action after hearing an ad.

Half of all respondents said advertising on a podcast is the best way for a brand to reach them, and 55% say they developed a more positive opinion towards brands that advertised on their favorite podcasts – showing that podcast ads are a key tool for influencing brand favorability.

Additional key findings reveal:

Listeners enjoy various aspects of podcasts:

70% of listeners say they enjoy listening to guest interviews
58% of listeners say they enjoy listening to panel discussions
55% of listeners say they enjoy listening to host banter

News, music, and comedy content are most frequently consumed, with nearly two thirds (64%) of podcast listeners listening to news shows every week.

For episodes of an hour or longer, 62% of listeners say they listen to more than half – confirming that pre-roll and mid-roll ad placements are great ways to reach listeners.

More than half of listeners (57%) will listen to a podcast episode multiple times.

Listeners are attentive when consuming podcasts – 65% are focused when listening to podcasts, more so than any other tested medium.

Podcast listeners are actively listening to ads to support their favorite podcasters – 57% agree that listening to ads is important to support their favorite podcast hosts.
Podcast listeners are five times more likely to like than dislike brand-sponsored content in podcasts.

Podcast listeners are almost four times more likely to like than dislike brand-owned podcasts.

“Podcasts are undoubtedly an increasingly important part of the lives of listeners in the US. We think of our favorite podcasters like our friends, and trust them to entertain and inform us just as much as we trust them to recommend brands and products we will enjoy,” said Nick Southwell-Keely, US Director of Sales and Brand Partnerships at Acast. “Changing consumer attitudes and interests have seen podcasting become an integral part of thousands of brands’ marketing strategies, and our research supports the increasingly valuable role podcasts can play.”