Nielsen Integrates Edison's Podcast Metrics into NMI

Nielsen has announced an agreement with podcast analyst Edison Research, integrating the latter's Podcast Metrics data into its media planning tool, Nielsen Media Impact (NMI).

Edison's 'Infinite Dial' survey research series was established in 1998 and provides insights on digital audio, social media, podcasting, smart speakers, and other media-related technologies. Its Share of Ear survey is a single-source measure of all audio in the US, and has been marketed by Nielsen for the last two and a half years, as has Podcast Metrics itself.

The new service, 'Nielsen Podcast Fusion powered by Edison Research' promises advertisers and agencies the ability to plan, optimize and compare all major media types - including podcasts, TV, radio, digital and social - in one place. NPR and Ocean Media are among the charter subscribers at launch.

The firms say podcasts now reach the majority of adults aged 18-34 each month, with a 32% share of ad-supported audio. With the new deal, NMI users will also be able to optimize media plans by specific podcast networks and genres, as well as top podcast programs.

Rich Tunkel, MD of Nielsen Audio, comments, 'We know that young people are consuming podcasts as a huge part of their media diet. Nielsen continues to be at the forefront of media measurement so that advertisers can create their plans with confidence. This new collaboration further extends that confidence to audio and podcasts.' Edison SVP Melissa Kiesche (pictured) adds: 'Nielsen Media Impact is a critical tool for cross-platform media planning, and we are excited to bring our best-in-class podcast measurement data to this ecosystem.'

The firms are online at www.nielsen.com and www.edisonresearch.com .