MeasureCast yesterday reported that web radio fans increased listening to stations streaming Christmas music during the week of November 12 – 18 but the availability of holiday music did not mean more people listened to web radio than did the previous week.
In fact, the weekly listening index dipped 10 percent to 282 during the week beginning November. This marks the second consecutive week of online listening declines, which were preceded by seven straight weeks of increases.
“Web radio just enjoyed seven consecutive weeks of audience growth beginning in September,” MeasureCast CEO Ed Hardy told Gavin. “However, we’re likely to see some dips in online radio listening during the holiday season because of the related decrease in office listening.”
Importantly, listening to Internet radio is largely an at-work phenomenon. The Nielsen//NetRatings Internet ratings report for the month of September 2001 reveals that nearly 56 percent of office workers consumed streaming media in September. More than 21 million office workers streamed Internet media in September as compared to more than 17 million the year before, a jump of 21 percent. The percentage of surfers streaming media at-work climbed five percentage points from September 2000 to nearly 56 percent. As office workers depart for prolonged winter holidays, it’s likely that many of the statistical gains made in online listening over the past year may slip slightly.