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Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings Expands Total Audience Measurement for Audio

2 minute read | March 2016

Broadcasters, buyers and marketers want to understand the dynamics of both broadcast and digital audio audiences. And with our new Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings, we’ll be able to do just that! As we remain committed to delivering Total Audience for audio, this subscription-based measurement service will provide radio clients with a solution to assess the value and size of their overall over-the-air (OTA) and digital audience while aligning with established broadcast and digital currencies.

“With the way people consume content in a continual state of change, it’s critical to capture all of the platforms where people are listening to audio, whether on the radio, computers or smartphones,” said Brad Kelly, managing director, Nielsen Audio. “To achieve Total Audience for audio, we must provide a comprehensive view of listening behavior across all platforms and what better way to start than with radio. Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings allows broadcasters, advertisers and marketers to better understand the dynamics of a station’s over-the-air and online audiences.”

The Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings service, which is currently collecting data on more than 2,500 station streams across all 48 personal people meter (PPM) markets, measures the extension of broadcast radio to streaming environments. Initially, Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings will report the listening of digital streams of AM/FM radio stations, as well as client’s e-radio stations, across PPM markets. Broadcast radio listening from PPM will be combined with digital listening data from a software development kit (SDK), which is integrated into apps and web players. Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings provides transparency into the digital audio landscape, and the result is seamless audio measurement that allows broadcasters and marketers to easily plan, buy and sell all audio content.

Some clients are already integrated with the SDK; however, the pre-currency data they are receiving only allows them to analyze their own performance. Beginning in April 2016, clients will be able to license Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings to access data related to their own media properties and the data of other subscribers.