2-21-14
Clear Channel says there are now 43 million registered iHeartRadio, an increase of 84% from the end of 2012. Without specifying how many listener hours iHeartRadio had, the company reported total listening hours were up 29% over 2013, with approximately 300 million downloads and upgrades. Mobile represented 54% of iHeartRadio total listening hours during the fourth quarter of 2013.
Earlier this month Pandora reported 1.58 billion listener hours for January. Pandora also reported it was approaching 9% of total radio listening, which Clear Channel CFO Richard Bressler said is impossible if you just do the math, and don't take Pandora's word for it. Pandora self-reports that number.
Bressler said comparing Pandora to radio is not comparing apples to apples: "They claim to be number one station in some radio markets. It's statistically impossible. Today, less than 40% of people stream their music. Radio makes up 92% of listening according to Nielsen. That leaves all other digital providers 8%. It's mathematically impossible for them to be number one in any market. If you added up all the Pandora streams in New York, they would be around number 17."
Bressler said, "We [Clear Channel' are radio first. Pandora is a playlist, a feature. With 3,000 salespeople, he said, "We have not seen any impact on sales from Pandora."
