Four streams rate with Arbitron’s PPM

July PPM data sent out yesterday by Arbitron includes, for the first time, listening to encoded digital streams. The company says 287 Internet and HD streams are being encoded in PPM currency and pre-currency markets and are ready to be reported by PPM panelists. Only four Internet streams met the minimum reporting threshold in the first month.

If you guessed that Jerry Lee’s WBEB-FM Philadelphia was one of the four to make the list, you clearly understand something about PPM. At-work listening is, as expected, the biggest source of streaming showing up in PPM data. WBEB’s stream scored a 0.5 weekly Cume rating in the Philadelphia market, just clearing the minimum reporting standard. The other three streams that made the list are in smaller embedded markets. WPLJ-FM New York’s stream had a 0.7 in Middlesex-Union, NJ, WLTW-FM New York’s stream a 0.6 in Nassau-Suffolk, NY and KDAY-FM Los Angeles’ stream a 0.6 in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA.

About 7% of PPM panelists listened to some encoded Internet streaming in July. That’s 1,207 people.

What about HD Radio? Well, Arbitron says PPM detected small quantities of tuning to HD Radio. 75 HD2 and HD3 stations are being encoded in PPM markets, versus 189 Internet streams of AM or FM station broadcasts.  

Arbitron announced that it is raising the bar for itself as far as panel targets for its PPM markets are concerned. Previously, the target was to reach 80% of the sample target – an 80 DDI (Designated Delivery Index) – for the 18-54 demo by the 4th month of currency. That has now been made the target for the first month of currency and it will be transitioned to a 90 DDI based on a 13-month rolling average effective with the first year of currency in any market. Some other targets have also been moved up.

Arbitron executives were again touting success in hitting sample targets in PPM markets. “Everything is at or above target,” Pierre Bouvard, President, Sales & Marketing, declared. And he noted that the performance is better than last summer, since the company has built in over-sampling in expectation of panelists taking vacations.

Here’s a market-by-market look at 6+ and 18-54 sample delivery.

In-Tab Sample Size DDI benchmark
and Persons 18-54 Sample Size Guarantee

Persons 6+ DDI Benchmark = 90

Persons 18-54 DDI guarantee = 80

	Persons 6+ DDI		Persons 18-54 DDI
	Oct 2007	July 2008	Oct 2007	July 2008
Philadelphia	105	107	96	107
Houston	103	103	104	105
New York (non-embedded)	96	107	86	103
Nassau-Suffolk	104	104	96	102
Middlesex-Somerset-Union	101	109	92	105
Los Angeles	—	108	—	103
Riverside	—	112	—	108
Chicago	—	113	—	102
San Francisco	—	106	—	96
San Jose	—	101	—	99

Source: Arbitron

RBR/TVBR observation: Hey, how about a contest? Which will be the first HD Radio stream to meet minimum reporting requirements for PPM? It may take a while for that to happen, since there are still so few receivers in the hands of the listening public.

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