Edison Adding Download Metrics To Its Podcasts Metrics Services

Edison Records, provider of Edison Podcast Metrics, the largest and most complete survey of podcast listening, announced today that it has developed a complementary service to count downloads for participating publishers. After months of research, Edison is utilizing a new method for determining U.S. downloads that does not employ a redirect nor involve delivery of log files.

“We have developed an elegant new solution that will enhance our unique Edison Podcast Metrics survey,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin. “While our survey of 20,000 podcast listeners each year provides the most complete look at the totality of actual listening to podcasts, download data will provide deeper information to subscribers, especially for smaller and short-run shows.”

Edison Podcast Metrics is the only survey measurement of U.S. weekly podcast listeners currently available. It covers the entire podcasting category with data about listening, not downloading. As such, it covers listening across all platforms and cannot be manipulated. The download counts will be a supplement to the established service. “This combination, designed using input from various publishers, will make our data even richer and more comprehensive – allowing podcast producers and advertisers to have even more understanding of the space,” said Rosin.

Using its Podcast Metrics, Edison takes look at the podcast consumption among weekly podcast listeners in the U.S. In the graphic below, you can see percentage of 18-24-year-old weekly podcast listeners who have listened to podcasts of a certain genre in the last week. The column on the right shows the same data for weekly podcast listeners age 25+.

Comedy is number one for both groups, but has a dramatic lead among those age 18-24. Sixty-two percent of weekly podcast listeners age 18-24 reported listening to a Comedy podcast in the last week, with Society & Culture finishing a distant second at 24%. True Crime charts in third place at 20% followed by News at 13%, and a tie between Sports and Education, both at 9%.

For those age 25+, the top two genres are much closer in reach with 39% listening to a Comedy podcast in the last week, followed by 31% listening to News podcast in the last week. Society & Culture ranks third at 27%, True Crime in fourth place at 19%, and a tie between Sports and Business, both at 11%.

Edison Research is an independent, third-party research supplier. It is not owned by nor affiliated with any publisher or sales house in the podcasting field. The new service will be available sometime near the end of fourth quarter.