Nielsen predecessor Arbitron and Edison Research partnered on the first Infinite Dial study in 1998. Decades later the two companies are once again collaborating as Nielsen will market two Edison products to ad agencies: Share Of Ear and Podcast Metrics.
Nielsen’s sales reps will now offer Edison’s well regarded Share Of Ear service, which provides insights into the entire audio landscape, including broadcast radio, streaming, podcasting, downloaded audio, smart speakers and other sources of audio content. The quarterly reports are based on a rolling four-quarter national diary-based survey of 4,000 Americans aged 13 and older. Participants keep a detailed daily diary of audio usage, recording their listening throughout the day in 15-minute increments. The diary asks not only what platform they used, but the content consumed, and where they were located. Edison has conducted Share of Ear studies since 2014.
Nielsen will also market Edison Podcast Metrics, which measures persons-based listening using frequently updated surveys to provide a complete view of the rapidly growing podcast audience. Because it is a survey-based methodology, not relying on server log data to track which shows were streamed or downloaded, it allows Edison to report a podcast ranker that is independent of which shows or networks subscribe.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Nielsen said it is “committed to providing a complete view of the unduplicated audience across multiple platforms.” The two Edison services “complement and support this vision by providing advertising agencies with a holistic view of audio and podcasting today,” Nielsen added.
The Edison services will be offered as part of Nielsen’s portfolio of audio and podcasting services, including its Podcast Buying Power and Podcast Ad Effectiveness studies.
Adding the Edison products to its agency menu allows Nielsen to provide a more complete picture of the audio listening landscape while it works to develop a much-awaited and long-delayed cross-platform audio measurement service of its own.
“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.”
Added Edison Research President Larry Rosin, “Share of Ear and Edison Podcast Metrics provide advertising agencies and clients with incredibly rich data about the total audio universe. We are excited to work with Nielsen to grow the audio space by providing information about the total audio audience to planners and buyers.”