On the way, a new way to measure radio

These days it’s not enough to just know how many people are watching or listening to something.

Advertisers want more details.

What kind of money does the listener make? Do they have any pets? Any kids under 12? What’s their preferred toothpaste brand?

Mining this big data will help advertisers better target their ads, or that’s the feeling. Media that can’t offer this type of information are in danger of losing dollars.

Who’s participating in the new plan

Little wonder, then, that a cadre of leading radio groups, including iHeart Media and Cumulus, have teamed up with Shazam for a new audience measurement tool.

Shazam, of course, is the app you can use to find out what song’s playing in a TV commercial. It calls itself a music discovery service. The new tool will offer market- and station-level data.

The companies didn’t release many details about what the deal will look like or what sort of data will be provided. In addition to iHeart and Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group will participate.

The big question is how and whether this new service will compete directly with Nielsen. That’s not known and may not be known for a while.

For its part, Nielsen had to say:

“We welcome new approaches to the marketplace, and as the global leader in audience measurement, we remain laser-focused on delivering innovative and superior quality audited processes and methods to the radio industry. Nielsen has the only representative measurement of radio listening.

“Year over year, Nielsen invests millions of dollars in our products and services, ensuring that our measurement and panels continue to meet the currency-quality standards the industry demands. Nielsen remains committed to our audio technology and we are always investigating new technologies and trends that will allow us to deliver high quality radio ratings and insights.”

Tags: measuring radio, radio measurement, shazam, shazam radio