Streaming Companies Not A Big Threat

11-13-14

That's the take from several radio executives who appeared at aWells Fargo event Thursday morning in New York City. Entercom CEO David Field, Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan, and Cumulus' Collin Jones spoke at the Wells Fargo TMT conference, according to analyst Marci Ryvicker. In a report she issued after the event, Ryvicker wrote digital streaming competitors may not be as big of a threat as the market thinks. "The panelists stressed that the economics of digital streaming are very challenging (perhaps evidenced by the fact that Pandora has not turned a profit yet, and that their digital streaming competitors make up a very small portion of overall listening. Pandora only makes up 7 percent of total listening while traditional radio makes up 11- to 12-times that."

Ryvicker also reported that the panel said visibility into 2015 revenue is very limited, but Q1 ad trends are encouraging so far. "We didn't get a lot of color here given that advertising is being booked later and later. However, based on the limited business that has been booked Q1 currently, it sounds like ad trends are encouraging so far." Ryvicker has been saying for over a year now that she believes Emmis' NextRadio is a game-changer for radio so there was also discussion about NextRadio at the event.

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Pittman: iTunes Radio no Threat to Radio

6-11-13

Clear Channel Communications CEO Bob Pittman was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying he doesn?t see Apple?s new product as a threat to terrestrial radio or iHeartRadio. He's said all along, especially when discussing Pandora that custom radio doesn?t appear to be a viable freestanding business."

Pittman told the Journal that, "while listeners tune in to FM radio to ?join the world,? they listen to custom radio services to have ?a very private experience,? and now that so many electronics makers and subscription streaming companies are offering personalized radio, it?s no longer the main event." Read the Journal story HERE

(6/11/2013 7:10:54 AM)
ITunes radio with SIRI functionality is part of a bigger push to penetrate autos and that is a threat to radio...

“What if you could get iOS on the screen that is built into your car,” Apple SVP Eddy Cue asked on-stage at WWDC. Turns out he wasn’t just being rhetorical — Apple has confirmed that it is working with a slew of car manufacturers to bring the iOS experience into cars (the initiative is called, unimaginatively enough, “iOS In The Car”)starting with in 2014.

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Agovino Says Digital Opportunity Not Threat

6-17-2012

In an opinion piece written for TechCrunch called "The Rebirth of Radio," Triton Digital Chief Operating Officer Mike Agovino says that despite the consumer popularity for companies like Pandora, profitability has not followed. And, he notes, that is not likely to change as online listening increases in the car. Agovino says, this catch 22 has slowed the shift to digital for traditional radio stations."

Agovino's solution? "The key to turning digital from a threat to an opportunity for traditional radio providers is taking the things that stations do best ? such as music curation, artist access, events, promotions, and building a sense of community around localized services ? and delivering them into the digital channel, wrapped in a great user interface. The challenge has always been how to get a return on any such investment in the face of the royalty structure."

Agovino points to the recent deal between Clear Channel and Big Machine Music Label as a way radio is embracing the digital future.

Read Agovino's entire TechCrunch opnion piece HERE

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