Nielsen Finds Instant Alerts Increase Tune-Ins, TSL

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | 3:20am CT

A new Nielsen Audio study shows sharp increases in both tune-in occasions and time spent listening (TSL) on stations offering Futuri's "Instant Alerts." The feature sends text, tweet or e-mail alerts to listeners when one of their favorite songs is about to play. "The Instant Alert Efficacy Study," commissioned by Futuri Media, tracked listening activity for several months on ten mainstream formats at 40 stations in 16 major markets measured by Nielsen's PPM.

Nielsen reported that a majority of the stations using Futuri's Instant Alerts, or 62.5%, increased tune-in occasions within 90 days of deploying the feature. By comparison, they were 36% more likely to boost occasions by at least 10% within that time frame than a control group of similarly formatted stations in similar-sized markets which did not offer the feature.

Futuri client stations also increased the number of occasions by an average of 5.75 times more than a control group of similar stations. This increase in occasions for stations using Instant Alerts resulted in an acceleration of TSL, scoring as much as 30 times the growth as that of the control group. Comparatively, the Instant Alert stations were 45% more likely to extend TSL by 10% or more within 90 days.

Nielsen's research also found that consumers who recently became Instant Alert users anticipated becoming "more engaged" with their favorite station in terms of TSL. More than 83% said they planned to listen more to that station in the coming week, with a majority who said they intended to listen "a lot more."

"This study provides a meaningful link between engagement online and broadcast ratings," says Futuri Media CEO Daniel Anstandig. "This study is proof-positive that Futuri's Instant Alerts can generate more tune-in occasions, translating into more TSL, a larger audience share and a stronger average quarter-hour market rating."