Media Info Bureau

In a blog post appearing at Medium and distributed by Pandora, the company's Music Insights and Analytics chief, Glenn Peoples, notes that with the streaming audio company's long-awaited rollout of its on-demand, subscription-based Pandora Premium, there are three tiers and, thus, three ways for artists and labels to connect with listeners and earn royalties. There are also a few different ways royalties get to artists and labels, and Peoples explains just how Sirius XM and AM and FM radio differ from Pandora.

According to a study conducted over a three-day period in May, more than half of U.S. pay television subscribers did not see having live sports channels as an important consideration. That's according to a study that seems dubious, biased and just one more example of how ridiculous "facts" are being masqueraded as research, our Editor-In-Chief notes in this Media Information Bureau report.

Walk into nearly any bar, gym, airport or office these days and you’re likely not only to find a TV, but also viewers of all sorts with their eyes glued to the glass. These consumers, out of the confines of their homes, are no less important to networks and advertisers when they’re out and about. This latest insight piece from Nielsen sheds new light on what's being watched away from the home.

NPR and Edison Research in June released The Smart Audio Report. The research showed one clear finding: Voice-activated smart speakers are becoming a must-have device in U.S. homes. In fact, 42% of smart speaker owners consider their device "essential" to everyday life. NPR and Edison have just released more original research from the report.

In the smart home, voice will serve as a prime differentiator in the user experience. A new Parks Associates white paper presents market strategies for long term success in the voice technology market. Among the key topics: New opportunities for voice in connected products. This is information all radio industry C-Suiters need now.

"There is only one problem with radio today. One. So, let’s solve it." What exactly is that problem? Media Information Bureau contributor Kelly Orchard, M.A. LMFT thinks she has the answer. It's all about people, as she writes in this exclusive column, "Trouble, Turmoil and Transition: Radio Needs An Attitude Adjustment NOW!" It's written by a second-generation broadcaster who nearly died of heart failure. It's a tale of how you, and others, can be prevented from succumbing to fear.

Believe it or not, TV went digital a long time ago. This is why so many U.S. homes have TV set-top boxes and there exists a plethora of over-the-air broadcast sub-channels. It is also the reason The Nielsen Company had to change the basis of its TV-measurement system from tuner frequencies to network codes embedded in program content. The digital TV discussed today is a bit different from those early days, thanks to "over-the-top" (OTT) apps. What does this mean for broadcast TV, and what does it mean for advertisers? Guest Media Information Bureau columnist Ed DeNicola, Head of Television for Cambridge Analytica, chimes in on the subject.

The CMO Council today released a report that investigates how some of the nation's top marketers and advertising decision-makers are calling for more transparency. Titled "Engage at Every Stage: An Investigation of Video Activation," this study finds that inaccurate, questionable and false digital media reporting measures have already caused 21% of marketers to pull back on advertising spend. Additionally, the study finds that media spend in this area will be very much linked to reporting accuracy. Is this another opportunity for radio and TV to strike back at digital and social media?

In this Media Information Bureau column, we explore how new sources of TV viewing data (including the set-top box and automated content recognition) are set to "radically change the way marketers, networks and broadcasters measure TV viewership, plan media buys and execute ad campaigns." Three key questions are asked by Tivo. All the details are here.

The FCC's Media Bureau on Monday released a Public Notice that one media broker believes is highly important for every radio industry C-Suite executive to read. Specifically, the Media Bureau is now seeking comment on "THE STATUS OF COMPETITION IN THE MARKETPLACE FOR DELIVERY OF AUDIO PROGRAMMING." What does that mean? Here's the scoop.

For the first five years conducting “Alternative FCC Compliance Certification Inspections,” 90% of the questions asked to featured columnist Ken Benner pertained to FCC required Public Files. The same percentage of individuals, he adds, "had virtually no idea of what was required or where to turn for information to be compliant." Here's what you need to avoid a potential fine.

We aren't just in a new "golden age" for TV shows. Nielsen has just declared that we are in a "golden age of audio." Really?! Check out the highlights from its just-released Audio Today 2018 report focusing on network radio. It has some incredible new data on smart speaker home penetration, and the percentage of all radio listeners who tune to a network affiliated station every week.

We all see the headlines. "Cord cutting" is accelerating. Viewers may soon do away with TV as we know it. As Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services gain traction, it may seem that traditional pay TV services -- cable and satellite -- are heading for the exits. But, headlines can be misleading -- in a big way. 

The #SubCommTech wing of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday held a hearing on "Preserving an Open Internet for Consumers, Small Businesses, and Free Speech." Democrats and Republicans had something to say. So did TechFreedom, following the hearing.

The latest quarterly Nielsen Total Audience Report is out, and in addition to current media trends at large, more insight and data on the ever-growing world of streaming has gotten added attention from the nation's top audience measurement and consumer data firm.