MediaCommunications

MediaCom View: 15% of all radio listening is now via digital platforms, according to the latest RAJAR results. This is up from 12.8% in Quarter 2. Digital listening is predominantly via DAB sets, but there is also growth in radio listening via Digital TV. Listening online is down slightly quarter on quarter. The number of people downloading and listening to podcasts however, is growing - reaching 2.7 million. Healthy growth is being seen for digital radio across a variety of platforms. While digital is still dwarfed by analogue listening in terms of overall numbers, news for the future is that digital radio is going from strength to strength. New digital only stations offering niche interest programming and tighter targeting, Channel4 Radio's promise of quality commercial output to rival the BBC and a renewed interest in Radio generally in all it's many forms is good news for the future of the business.

MediaCom View: Advertising on a platform's Electronic Programme Grid is, so far, an untapped medium. Virgin are looking into how they might monetise this space on their service for 2008. In Sky homes the EPG has a daily reach of 97% but unfortunately, due to their Public Service remit they are unable to carry advertising in this space. This is an exciting development for Virgin, and Mediacom will be interested in exploring opportunities here for their clients.

MediaCom View: As ever, brands and their ad agencies are following consumer eyeballs - in this case, to online social media. You can understand why: in September, social networks reached 93% of the 6.5m 15-24 internet users (Source: Comscore). But consumer movement and behaviour is changing faster than marketeers can keep up, meaning money spent on communications with no real understanding of why people are there, what flicks their switch in that mode, and how best to measure success. Social media is proper "me" media. In this space, people are expressing themselves, talking to others and wanting to belong. Brands have to fundamentally adapt their marketing techniques in order to benefit from this environment.