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Since 1998, Arbitron has released a dozen landmark studies on online broadcasting and Internet usage. Count on Arbitron to continue its commitment of providing breakthrough research that helps you understand consumer behavior. These exclusive studies are free to download.
Recent Studies Audience Profiles Archived Studies
The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio’s Digital Platforms 6.25.08
In this study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio’s Digital Platforms, we continue to explore the world of radio, as it stands in 2008 and continues to take on new forms, in particular, an increasing number of digital platforms, such as online, satellite, HD Radio® and podcasting.
Download The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio’s Digital Platforms (PDF)
The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio’s Digital Platforms Webinar 4.9.08
View the Webcast replay (Windows Media Player) or download the slide presentation (PDF)
The Infinite Dial 2007: Radio’s Digital Platforms 04.19.07
According to this study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, The Infinite Dial 2007: Radio’s Digital Platforms, consumers are continuing to explore radio in all its digital platforms—Online Radio, Satellite Radio, HD Radio™, and audio podcasting—while maintaining a broad use of AM/FM radio.
Download The Infinite Dial 2007: Radio’s Digital Platforms (PDF)
Internet and Multimedia 2006: On-Demand Media Explodes 05.17.06
Since 1998, Arbitron and Edison Media Research have conducted 14 national
studies of online broadcasting, Internet usage and consumer media trends. In
this year's installment, Internet and Multimedia 2006: On-Demand Media Explodes,
you’ll learn how emerging media choices are changing the way consumers
think about the many types of audio and video programming available to them.
Download the Internet and Multimedia 2006 presentation (PDF)
The Infinite Dial: Radio's Digital Platforms 04.20.06
The proliferation of digital broadcast platforms such as Internet radio, satellite
radio, HD Radio and podcasting is a testament to the popularity of radio programming. The
Infinite Dial: Radio’s Digital Platforms a new study by Arbitron
Inc. (NYSE: ARB) and Edison Media Research, explores this expansion of the
radio market and its implications for advertisers and media planners.
Internet
and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Consumer 03.23.05
One in 10 Americans show a heavy preference to control their media and entertainment,
according to the latest study from Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media
Research—Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer.
The study focuses on new devices and services that allow Americans to exercise
more control over the media they consume. Topics include DVRs, portable MP3
players and other on-demand technologies.
Download the new data from the Internet and Multimedia 2005 study that Diane Williams presented at the RAIN conference in Las Vegas on April 19, 2005 (PDF). Download the Internet and Multimedia 2005 presentation (PDF)
Scarborough Research provides insights into the shopping patterns, lifestyles, media habits, and demographics of today’s consumers. Information about people who have tuned in to online radio or video in the past month is available for nearly all of Scarborough’s categories, including brand-level data. This information is vital for media planners who want to reach a specific audience.
The profile of a typical online radio or video user is a white male, age 25-34, who attended college and owns his own home.
He’s a professional making $75,000+ per year and has taken more than 10 round-trip business flights in the past year. He also participated in the computer hardware/software purchasing decisions in his company.
During his leisure time, the typical online radio or video user shops at Best Buy, visits Starbucks and enjoys an imported beer.
To learn more about how to use Scarborough data to generate ad revenue, please contact Diane Williams at Arbitron.
Profile of Monthly Users of Online Radio or Video
| Scarborough Category | % Composition* |
| White | 73% |
| Male | 62% |
| Age 25-34 | 27% |
| Professional Specialty | 16% |
| Executive, Administrative, Managerial | 15% |
| HH Income $75,000+ | 37% |
| Some College | 43% |
| College Graduate or More | 31% |
| Owns Residence | 63% |
| Scarborough Category | Index |
| Participated in computer hardware/software purchasing decisions in his company in the past year | 206 |
| Taken 10+ business round-trip flights in continental U.S. in the past year | 167 |
| A purchase at Best Buy in the past month | 183 |
| Visited Starbucks in the past month | 176 |
| Drank any imported beer | 164 |
* How to Read: 62 percent of monthly online radio or video users are male. People who use online radio or video are 106 percent more likely than the average consumer to have participated in company purchasing decisions about computer hardware/software in the past year.
Below, you will find some earlier studies conducted by Arbitron in relation to Internet Broadcasting and Broadband access. These studies are considered dated and should only be used for trending purposes.
Internet and Multimedia 12: The Value of Internet Broadcast Advertising 03.24.04
More than four in 10 (42 percent) people who listened to Internet Radio in the
last month listened while shopping or researching a product or service online,
according to the latest study from Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research—Internet
and Multimedia 12: The Value of Internet Broadcast Advertising. The study
focuses on the Internet radio and video audiences and the most effective way
to market to this elite segment of the U.S. population.
Download the Internet and Multimedia 12 presentation (PDF)
Internet and Multimedia 11: New Media Enters the
Mainstream 09.23.03
Approximately 50 million Americans have used Internet audio or video in the
last month according to Internet and Multimedia 11: New Media Enters the
Mainstream. The study examines how new media usage—such as satellite
radio, personal video recorders and DVDs—has become part of mainstream
consumer habits.
Download the Internet and Multimedia 11 presentation (PDF)
Download the Internet and Multimedia 10 presentation (PDF)
Listen to the webcast replay. Download the Internet 9 presentation Special Radio Industry Addition of Internet 9 Special Radio Industry Edition - Presented at the NAB Radio Show in Seattle, this presentation contains additional research of interest to the Radio Industry. 09.17.02
Listen to the webcast replay.
Download the Internet VIII Study Summary
Download the Internet VIII Study Presentation
Streaming Subscription Models: An In Depth Look Presented at Streaming Media West, Arbitron/Edison take a more in depth look at consumers interest in subscription models for streaming media.
Internet Study VII: What Consumers Want Next 9.5.01
Arbitron and Edison Media Research premiere their latest research on radio
consumers and how they see the Internet and streaming. With many stations
having pulled their streams and some questioning their commitment to the
Web, this presentation can help you devise useable Web or streaming strategies.
Download
the Internet Study VII Summary
The Broadband Revolution 2-The Media World of Speedies 06.18.01
This is the second in-depth examination of Americans with superfast broadband
Internet access. Gain insight into how today's broadband customers impact
the future success of traditional and Internet media companies. This study
reveals opportunities for tapping into the large outside-the-home speedie
market.
Download
the Broadband 2 Study (~276KB PDF file)
Webcasters "Speak Out!" 5.08.01
Hear the state of the industry according to key webcasting executives in
Arbitron's latest Internet industry study, "Webcasters 'Speak Out!'" Find
out what webcast industry executives say about the industry's development
to date, its realistic and optimistic future, and how webcasting can deliver
for advertisers.
Download
the complete study now. (~132 KB)
Arbitron Presents Newest Streaming Study at the
NAB 4.26.01
Presented at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2001: The Convergence
Marketplace convention, "The Need for Speed," based on the Internet
VI "Streaming at a Crossroads" study discusses consumer usage of
broadband and online streaming media and its implications for the future
of television in the new media world.
Download
the complete study now (~1.88 MB)
Internet Study VI: Streaming at a Crossroads 2.2.01
The latest in the series from Arbitron/Edison Media Research shows that despite
the slowdown in time spent with the Internet overall, more Americans are
using streaming media on a regular basis. This research documents elements
that have been propelling streaming media's growth over the past two years.
Download
the Internet Study VI Executive Summary
Download
the Internet VI Presentation )
Arbitron and Edison Media Research Present The
Side Channel Study: Extending Your Brand on the Internet 12.1.00
Arbitron and Edison take the first ever look at a new phenomenon in Webcasting
called Side Channels. Side Channels are Internet-based extensions of radio
station programming that complement or extend the station's over-the-air
brand. The study reveals how consumers use side channels and what they think
of them. Plus, Arbitron and Edison provide several practical recommendations
based on the findings of the research.
Download
The Side Channel Study (~607 KB)
Radio Station Web Site Content: An In-depth Look 11.21.00
As the Internet continues to grow, a radio station's online presence becomes
increasingly important; as such, it is crucial to know both what features
radio station Web sites have and what features visitors to the sites are
looking for. To date, however, the radio industry lacks a comprehensive synthesis
of this information. Therefore, we present "An In-Depth Look at the Content
of Radio Station Web Sites," a report which not only addresses what content
radio station Web sites currently have, but also presents recommendations
as to what content they should have.
Download "Radio
Station Web Site Content: An In-depth Look" (~953 KB)
The Broadband Revolution: How Superfast Internet
Access Changes Media Habits in American Households 10.2.00
This study examines how people with broadband Internet access at home use electronic
media and entertainment differently from those who do not. The study explores
what happens to the media habits of Americans when superfast Internet connections
become available. It also looks at how streaming and downloaded media are being
used in broadband households.
Download
the Broadband Study (~368 KB PDF file)
Internet Study V: Startling New Insights About
The Internet and Streaming 9.21.00
More than two-thirds of "streamies" —online listeners and viewers—agree
that advertising is a fair price to pay for free Web site content, according
to a new Arbitron/Edison Media Research Internet Study released at the
National Association of Broadcasters Conference today. This study
provides rich evidence
of why Webcast advertising is poised to take off.
Download
Internet Study V
Small Market Special Edition Internet Study IV 6.6.00
This derivative study examines the relationship between market rank and Internet
usage. Is the phenomenal growth of the Internet limited to the largest
markets is the US? Do consumers in Burlington, VT buy online at the same
rate as those in San Francisco? For the first time an Arbitron Internet
Study is broken out to look at how Internet usage differs in smaller markets.
Download
the "Small Market" study (~1.10 MB)
Advertising Agencies Speak
Out About Webcasting 3.22.00
Are ad agencies and advertisers sold on promoting their goods and services
online? According to this Arbitron Internet Information Services study, released
at the USC/Inside Radio Internet Conference 2000, over three-quarters of
advertising agencies buy online advertisements on behalf of their clients
and one-out-of-five who buy online have placed webcast ads. Download the
study to find out why many agency executives believe that webcast ads are
superior, and how they rate the Internet advertising experience in general.
Download
the study (~584 KB)
Internet Study IV: The Buying Power of "Streamies"; 2.17.00
The fourth joint study from Arbitron Internet Services and Edison Media Research
continues to provide keys for Internet advertisers. Based on 2,000 interviews
from the Fall 1999 Arbitron radio diary survey, the study continues tracking
very strong response (purchases, site visits, click-through, etc.) to dotcom
advertising amongst streamies.
Download
the study
Internet Penetration Study 10.18.99
Washington, DC ranks number one for Internet penetration amongst adults in
this Scarborough 64-market study. The study was compiled from over 170,000
interviews from February 1998 to February 1999. Read the study
summary to find out where your key markets rank.
Internet Study III. Broadcasters v Webcasters:
Which Business Model Will Win? 9.2.99
The third collaborative study from Arbitron and Edison Research reveals a
strong correlation between listening to audio online and engaging in other
e-activities, such as making online purchases and bookmarking Web sites.
Online radio listeners prove to be much more likely to have actually visited
and/or bookmarked a radio station Web site than people who do not listen
via the Web. Study III proffers 27 key findings — more than either of
the previous Internet Studies — and seven recommendations, all designed
to help broadcasters (and advertisers) take advantage of these unique habits
exhibited by "streamies" (consumers of audio and video webcasts).
Download
the study
Also available in Microsoft
Word 97 format
Internet Listening Study II: Radio and E-commerce 2.99
In July 1998, Arbitron and Edison Media Research determined that six percent
of all Americans had tuned to Internet radio. In January 1999, we both
found that Internet listening penetration had more than doubled to thirteen
percent. Americans are taking to the Internet with a will, with access
to the Web at home and work ballooning from thirty percent to forty-one
percent. And for the first time, Arbitron and Edison asked key questions
about Internet shopping. We discovered that, for radio stations, music
and CDs presented the best opportunities to cash in on the Internet e-commerce
gold rush.
Download
the study in PDF format (~560 KB) — A written report with
charts detailing Internet challenges and opportunities for radio.
20 key findings are summarized along with 7 recommendations.
Also available in Microsoft
Powerpoint 97 format (~966 KB) — the full set of PowerPoint 97 slides
to the study.
Radio in a New Media World: The Arbitron Internet
Listening Study; 10.98
Arbitron's
Internet Listening Study is the most comprehensive examination ever undertaken
of how radio listeners utilize the Internet. The study explores who is listening
on-line and what the potential impact of new media might be on radio.
Conducted in conjunction with Edison Media Research and NorthStar Interactive,
Arbitron's Internet perceptual research company, the study reveals that one
fifth of consumers on-line have listened to Internet audio. The study suggests
that advancements in technology and programming will lead to more on-line
listening. This emerging consumer trend presents both challenges and opportunities
for radio broadcasters.
Download
the study in PDF format (~629 KB)
Download 
Adobe's
Acrobat (PDF) reader
Download Powerpoint and/or Word Viewer(s) from Microsoft
