Arbitron, Edison Media

New York - Feb 25, 2003 - Arbitron and Edison Media Research have revealed the findings of their latest Internet study Internet & Multimedia 10: The Emerging Digital Consumer. This study found that during the last three years, the number of Americans listening to Internet audio broadcasting nearly tripled. The number of Americans who have ever listened to radio stations over the Internet has surged from 11 percent in January 2000 to 34 percent in January 2003. Therefore, Internet audio has become more of a regular habit for millions of Americans.

Satellite radio awareness was also surveyed and found that from January 2002 to January 2003, aided awareness for XM Satellite Radio increased from 17 percent to 32 percent. Aided awareness for Sirius Satellite Radio grew from 8 percent from January 2002 to 18 percent in January 2003. For XM and Sirius, the awareness of the two satellite radio providers and interest in each service is much more pronounced among men than with women. The survey also found that about 17 million Americans say they are very interested in the concept of satellite radio. There is a strong correlation between active users of Internet audio and those who express an interest in satellite radio. While 9 percent of all Americans indicate they are very interested in satellite radio, 15 percent of those who used Internet broadcasting in the last month say they are very interested in satellite radio. Sixty-six percent of those who are very interested in satellite radio have tried Internet broadcasts. Therefore, it is clear that there is a significant number of American consumers who actively seek unique and compelling audio content regardless of its distribution method.

Arbitron and Edison Media Research offered these recommendations for Internet radio after reviewing the survey results: