6IX streaming off: a whole of radio issue says Kevin Blyton

A small note at the bottom of the Perth survey results today had us interested.

It said: “Please note: Listening via streaming for all radio stations except 6iX is included in these results. 6iX stopped streaming in January 2014.”
 
Internet listening habits have been collected since 2009 in Metro surveys, as part of the ‘Platform of Listening’ data. The information is also now collected in major regional areas (Newcastle, Gold Coast, Canberra) as part of GfK’s new survey contract.

CRA is on the record as saying that simulcast internet listening accounts for about 10% of all radio listening. CRA is currently in dispute with the PPCA about ‘double dipping’ payments for delivery of radio broadcasts via internet delivery.

As a result of this dispute, all regional stations turned of their streams, but metro stations left them on, so it was a surprise to have it noted that 6IX’s stream has been off all this year.

So we asked station owner Keving Blyton why? He told radioinfo he sees the streaming issue as a whole of radio issue, not a metro or regional issue.

6ix like all our stations, stopped streaming in January of this year.

 

We don’t see the PPCA matter as different for metro as opposed to regional stations.  It’s a whole of Radio issue.

We don’t agree with the way PPCA want to charge Radio stations and their financial claim is just outrageous.

The note on the Perth survey results is an accurate statement of what is happening in that market.

 

Has turning off the station’s stream had an effect? Maybe.

At first the numbers below suggest it may have had an effect, but there is more to the story if you compare averages across this year and last year, as 6IX General Manager Josh Elliott explained to radioinfo:
 

Changes in our ratings this year cannot solely be attributed to streaming.

“6iX’s cumulative audience in Survey 6, 2014 is 156,000, which is equal to the stations highest cumulative audience of the last 7 years.  For comparative purposes, our cumulative audience in Survey 6, 2013 was 127,000. 

“When you compare an average of the 6iX 10+ Share results for the six surveys in 2013 (5.88% – with streaming) against results for the six surveys in 2014 (5.36% – without streaming) the decrease in Share is just 0.52%.

“So, to imply that this is solely due to streaming is simply incorrect.”

 

In another streaming related survey development, the release of the latest the Canberra survey has been delayed by one day, and will be out on Thursday this week.

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