iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox, Sun Broadcast Group and Shazam Collaborate on Groundbreaking New Audio Measurement Solution
New System Maximizes Companies’ Proprietary Data Assets to Advance Measurement Across Both Broadcast and Digital Audio
New York, NY – July 21, 2016 – Broadcast radio industry leaders iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group announced today a strategic alliance with Shazam for a groundbreaking audio audience measurement solution in the U.S. that will deliver market- and station-level audience metrics across all radio formats.
This new measurement solution for broadcast and digital audio brings together these companies’ proprietary data assets and measurement capabilities. Utilizing the most innovative audio recognition technology available and information from specific geographic markets, it will leverage information collected from tens of millions of devices to produce the accurate, stable cross-platform audience metrics that the industry has been waiting for.
“We welcome this kind of innovation in the audio sector, particularly as more and more advertisers are turning to audio solutions to reach the hundreds of millions of audio consumers monthly,” said Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder of Horizon Media. “A solution that better measures audio is good for us, for our clients and for their brands.”
“Shazam delivers unparalleled audio insights that will enable stable measurement across both digital and broadcast radio, making this an extremely exciting initiative for both iHeartMedia and the audio industry,” said Radha Subramanyam, iHeartMedia’s President of Research and Insights. “The richness of our data, combined with Shazam’s measurement capabilities, will enable much deeper insights than traditional audio measurement does, and we believe it’s a necessary and valuable addition to the evolving multi-platform audio measurement marketplace.”
“Shazam’s audio insights can be an empowering measurement tool for Cumulus Media, as well as the audio industry,” said Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media. “Clients are demanding more insights and targeting capabilities from media companies, and radio needs to offer what has become basic table stakes. Shazam can help us deliver on these expectations.”
“We are pleased to be working with Shazam and the industry in support of an alternative audience measurement tool that will provide more robust information on the hundreds of millions of local radio listeners,” said David Field, President and CEO of Entercom. “With this type of innovation, we believe media strategists and planners will be prompted to re-think their media mix models to give radio its fair share of the media buy.”
“We like what we see going on with Shazam,” said Bill Hoffman, President of Cox Media Group. “Listeners have more contact with their brand of choice than ever before. We continue to get excited about Audience Measurement that keeps up with the rapid advances of technology to accurately account for who and what makes up our audience.”
“Shazam has become the industry standard in delivering fast, accurate audio recognition at scale,” said Greg Glenday, Shazam’s Chief Revenue Officer. “We are thrilled to help support these radio industry leaders as they continue to innovate.”
About iHeartMedia
With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 85 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets and smartphones, and on gaming consoles. iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over a billion downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 85 million registered users faster than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook. The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (OTCBB: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
About Cumulus Media
A leader in the radio broadcasting industry, Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS) combines high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated media, sports and entertainment brands to deliver premium content choices to the 245 million people reached each week through its 453 owned-and-operated stations broadcasting in 90 US media markets (including eight of the top 10), more than 8,200 broadcast radio stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous digital channels. Together, the Cumulus/Westwood One platforms make Cumulus Media one of the few media companies that can provide advertisers with national reach and local impact. Cumulus/Westwood One is the exclusive radio broadcast partner to some of the largest brands in sports, entertainment, news, and talk, including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, the GRAMMYs, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, Westwood One News, and more. Additionally, it is the nation’s leading provider of country music and lifestyle content through its NASH brand, which serves country fans nationwide through radio programming, exclusive digital content, and live events. For more information, visit www.cumulus.com.
About Entercom Communications Group
Entercom Communications Corp. (NYSE: ETM) is the fourth-largest radio broadcasting company in the U.S., reaching and engaging more than 40 million people a week through its 124 highly-rated stations in 27 top markets across the country. Entercom is a purpose-driven company, deeply committed to entertaining and informing its listeners with the best locally-curated music, news, sports, and talk content, driven by compelling local personalities. Entercom delivers superior ROI by connecting its customers and audiences through its leading local brands and unparalleled local marketing solutions, which include over 4,000 events each year, and its SmartReach Digital product suite. Learn more about Philadelphia-based Entercom at www.Entercom.com, Facebook and Twitter (@entercom).
About Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 60 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million print and online newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.
About Sun Broadcast Group
Recently named one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc Magazine, Sun Broadcast Group is a national radio network reaching over 115 Million monthly listeners through its more than 8,000 affiliates in both general market and Spanish language radio. Headquartered in New York City and Boca Raton, FL, Sun offers ad sales representation, syndication and programming support to producers, hosts and radio networks nationwide. It’s growing program and sales offerings include The Marilu Henner Show, The Little League World Series, Accuweather en Español, Nashville Music Minute, Horse Racing’s Triple Crown and the 2015 Breeders Cup. For more information, call Sun Broadcast Group (800) 871-6163.
About Shazam
Shazam is one of the world’s most popular apps, used by hundreds of millions of people each month to magically connect to the world around them. Building on its pioneering leadership in music identification, Shazam now helps people discover, interact with, and share video, audio, or printed content on TV, radio, movie screens, magazines, newspapers, packaged goods, and retail stores — and now Shazam lets music fans follow their favorite artists to see their Shazams and share in the thrill of discovery. The app has exceeded 20 billion total Shazams since its launch, and users Shazam over 20 million times each day. For more information on how Shazam has created new technology tools for brands to utilize data follow us on Twitter @Shazamforbrands or for more information, visit www.shazam.com/brands.
