It seems like I write a post like this every year. Maybe like me, your email box is inundated with digital and social e-newsletters that clue you in to the latest news, speculation, and research findings.
And while many of these resources are helpful and informative, radio broadcasters who are curious and have a wider world view can and should know many of these answers, long before they appear in your email box. If you’re doing your homework, you know where the puck is going.
That was the case last week, and here are two examples:
Headline #1: Tablets, More Content Power Mobile Video Growth
That came from MediaPost’s “Online Media Daily,” noting the “the explosion of smartphones and tablets combined with a wider selection of premium content have given a big boost to mobile video viewing in the last year” according to a Yankee Group study.
They noted that YouTube was #1, followed by Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go.
If you were a stakeholder station in Techsurvey8, you knew this.
If you participated in our mega-survey earlier this year, you knew that. Our pecking order in Techsurvey8 was pretty close, and we also included Facebook as a source of video streaming, too.
And of course, our study also showed rapidly rising levels of video streaming, just like the Yankee Group survey.
Headline #2: RIM Collapsing? BlackBerry Sales Drop 43% In A Quarter
Last summer I presented Techsurvey7 to a group of Canadian broadcasters, and predicted to their dismay that the sales of BlackBerry handsets was headed downward – and fast. How could I be so sure? We had strong data from our Rock sample that a majority of current BlackBerry owners were planning on defecting to Apple and Android phones.
Techsurvey8 was even more definitive, based on a solid sample of consumers who like everything from Sports Talk to Hot AC radio. If you were one of the 170 participating stations, you knew this, too. Here how it broke down:
First, the current pecking order showed just how bad it has become for Research In Motion, the “MySpace of smartphones.”
But it gets even worse for RIM because the future looks even bleaker. That’s because nine out of ten current iPhone owners are planning on staying with Apple, while the vast majority of Android fans will once again stick with the Google platform.
For BlackBerry, decay and erosion will continue. When you zero in on those who are currently walking around with a BlackBerry phone in their pocket or purse, here’s the grim news:
The column on the far left shows a small black slice (red arrow) that symbolizes how few current smartphone owners plan to buy a BlackBerry next time around. And in the far right column, you’re looking at current BlackBerry owners, and their future smartphone selection. Again, it’s looking great for Apple moving forward. For BlackBerry, death and destruction.
That’s the beauty of using your database to learn more than the name of your best testing song or whether your audience would rather win a car or cash. Those questions have value for the day-to-day ratings wars your station is fighting.
But, there are much bigger issues facing radio and more important answers to discover. Should you invest in video streaming production, how can you use it to stimulate more listening and awareness, and can you monetize it? Our research clearly shows that video streaming growth coincides with the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, and that your audience is now making it part of their content consumption routine.
And as your station becomes more immersed with mobile, knowing which platforms matter to your audience could save you thousands of dollars, while advancing your mobile initiative.
So as you run through your email newsletters this weekend, there’s something reassuring about thinking “Well, I knew that” when you read predictions from the “experts” about what may happen or even actual research that tell you what’s happened.
The truth is, in fact, out there.
But you know that.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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