2oceansvibe Response To Listenership Audit

Since Shaun Dewberry filed his report, 2oceansvibe Media has called for an independent audit of NetDynamix figures which were served to us. That audit has been completed by MyBroadband editor, Rudolph Muller and the figures have been released. Due to gross inconsistencies between these audited figures and those given to us in the past by NetDynamix, we have decided it would be in the best interests of 2oceansvibe and its partners that we part ways with NetDynamix. The DMMA has put us in touch with world leader Triton, who will be taking over our stream and stats analysis.

A lot has been said about how we have used these numbers, possibly for financial gain. While we obviously took any opportunity in the past to boast about the NetDynamix stats – which we were assured to be true – it should be made very clear that, due to our cross-platform offering, our pricing structures have not changed since before we ever had listenership figures. For example a 30 second ad bundle currently sells for R500 per 30-second ad (10 in total) – the same as it was in June 2010. The radio portion of our campaigns commonly comprises about 20% of the total package price. As a result, all of our current radio clients have indicated that they are 100% behind us and look forward to growing this medium with us.

While the newly released audited figures are a massive shock when seen alongside the originally claimed stats; on their own they represent a highly niche group of opinion leaders and decision makers – which explains why our radio competitions often end up trending on Twitter. This is still an exciting audience for us and our clients, and we look forward to growing it with them.

While this past week was hugely damaging for some, we are massively enthusiastic about the first phase of our new partnership with Media24, which sees the 2oceansvibe Radio button added to the front page of News24.com.

With physical FM radios being close to extinct*, we look forward to bringing back the age-old pastime of listening to the radio at home and work. Imagine listening to a radio station where the DJ talks about what they want, and play music that they want.

Check out www.2ov.fm to tune in at your desk and see our DJ lineup. Go there on your smartphone to get the app – over 45,000 downloaded (fact).

HEY, DID YOU KNOW? - Stats show that productivity in the workplace improves 30,000% when listening to internet radio (un-audited).

* Motivation for extinction comment – we are referring to this high-end 8 to 10 LSM demographic. 2oceansvibe did a survey of 1,035 2oceansvibe News readers and 65% confirmed they didn’t have FM radios at the office.

UPDATE: We thought it pertinent to report that whilst numbers of 200 – 300 listeners per hour have been quoted up until now, Rudolph Muller from MyBroadband confirmed that 2oceansvibe Radio’s audience was “peaking at over 4,000 unique listeners in a day.”

http://www.lazygamer.net Gavin Mannion (@lazygamers)

Fantastic response guys, you’ve remained professional throughout and have handed this as well as could be imagined.

While anyone would be gutted to find out their audience is far smaller than they were told I’m glad to see you are going to continue and that you are joining up with News24 to push your offerings to a larger audience.

Congrats
http://www.wewantkirsty.com @KirstyCarrot

Love this response. Very professional and real. Maybe others should learn from you guys Good luck with the News24 venture!
http://www.howzit-hongkong.com Mike

With all said and done over the past week, I hope that this issue will be seen as part of the learning-curve and will serve to strengthen the NetRadio industry in SA. 2Oceansvibe.com and the subsequent 2OceansVibe Media is obviously the industry-leader (this post/release speaks to this fact) and is why I have been following you from the get-go. I also follow Ballz Visual Radio with a passion and wish both well henceforth.
http://URL Armand du Plessis

Awesome response. This perhaps was also one of the best things to happen to online radio, reckon the real listenership was boosted by this whole saga. Good to see you guys will continue to push this as hard as before, and also that you guys kicked NetDynamics.

Keep up the good work.
http://URL Jakoubs Louw

The News24 only allows Windows Media Player to be used.
There goes another 100 of the 200 users.
Who cares about such a miniscule station with less than 200 listeners.
They will not grow by much because they moved.
http://URL Len

Congratulations on a very professional response. I’ll be tuning in.
http://URL Gareth Heuer (@gdheuer)

A professional, winning response. Long live 2ov.fm
http://URL Andrew Smit

Great response, and glad to see you’re parting way with Netdynamix. However, I believe you’re missing the point with independent radio content. The future is content on demand, listen to it when I want to listen to, ie, podcasts. Podcasts are not simply posting an MP3 file to a website, it involves an RSS feed so that the content arrives on my iPhone automatically. “Tuning” into a show, be it, TV, radio or internet radio is the past, on demand content is the future. So guys, you’ve done the hard part, create great content, now do the easy part and make your stuff available through itunes or any of the other podcasting clients.
Btw, podcasting vs internet radio:
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=podcast%2Cinternet%20radio&geo=ZA&date=today%2012-m&cmpt=q
http://www.nobucks.co.za Adam Lifshitz

As said before, a commendable way of handling the situation, from the beginning until this last response ( I say last, for I think this marks the end of this agenda).

Glad to see that you’ve taken the appropriate measures to remove yourself from a rather incompetent partnership with NetDynamix.
Seth

Thanks @andrew – agree 100%. Watch this space..
http://URL Andrew Smit

Thanks Seth, looking forward to it.
http://WebsiteURL Nick Mulgrew

Great response, and good stuff about kicking NetDynamix, but asserting that FM radios are close to being extinct? Come on, 2OV. FM radio is still the biggest medium in South Africa by far and you cannot realistically assert otherwise.

Look after your own market and your own product, but don’t try to ignore the literally millions of South Africans who tune into FM and AM broadcasts every day, in their home languages and in their home towns, and who will continue to do so far into the future. Doing otherwise just looks silly.
Seth

Hey @nick thanks for the comment. Indeed that is a broad statement but I am and always have been talking about this niche high-end audience of opinion leaders. Our survey conducted with this audience on 2oceansvibe News (1,035 respondents) showed 65% did not have an FM radio at home or work.

Add to that the fact that the UK is shutting down the FM signal in 2014 and I think it is fair to make casual statements like that regarding this audience.

Appreciate the comments and any healthy debate. These are exciting times
http://URL Joe Bloggs

Whilst this has been handled fairly well, surely 2OV must accept far more responsibility for their complete lack of oversight.

I’m sure I am one of many people who struggle to believe that you guys never connected the dots and saw that the claimed listenership stats were not inflated, but completely made up.

And if that connection wasn’t made, then unfortunately it’s a sad indictment of the business skills at 2OV.
silverstreak

Hey Jakobus

Thanks for your comment beneath the “2oceansvibe Response To Listenership Audit”.

We’re only days into the first phase of our relationship with Media24, and there are obviously a few glitches floating around that we need to be aware of as we go forward. The problem that you mention in particular is actually a symptom of the service available from NetDynamix, who we have parted ways with.

Once all of our services are transferred to Triton, streaming options will be wider, without a doubt.

Thanks again, for your constructive comment.

Have a great day, SS.
Seth

He Joe thanks for the comment. We understand your points, but please keep in mind.

1) The app has been downloaded over 45,000 times
2) 2ov News got 245,000 unique readers last month and a recent survey of 1,035 2ov News readers confirmed that 77% listen to 2oceansvibe Radio
3) Our competitions regularly trend on Twitter.

Whilst the figures certainly did initially surprise us and we double-checked them with Netdynamix, the above show just a few reasons why we were able to believe the stats.

Appreciate the comments and any healthy debate. These are exciting times
http://URL clinton

I think the response was great and it was handled really well. I, however have to agree with “Joe Bloggs.”
How could you simply not have known? I looked at past articles on 2OVand that interview with Richard Hardiman(sp?) and thought that those stats were fishy. Surely if you have your reputation riding on it you’d ask the same question? Was there a point where you guys asked the question of netdynamics?
Seth

Hey @clinton,

Yes we did. We have a number of emails proving in writing that we asked a number of times for clarification. We have the responses too.

Thanks for the comments.

S
http://URL Ronald

Congrats on your move to News24,but FM radio is far from being dead in S.A due to the fact that we have the most crapiest and most expensive bandwith in the world lets be a bit realistic and look at whats going on in S.A and not look at first world countries and want to follow trends lets set our own. Right now I think you are going to be the only online radio in S.A that will have high listeners thanks to News24.
Seth

Thanks for the comments, Ronald.

No-one said FM radio is dead in SA – totally agree. As mentioned above, this is a high-LSM niche audience, of which the majority does not have an FM radio at home or office.

Appreciate the interaction.

Regards,

Seth
http://URL SwissT

Well done Seth. The report was pretty damning of NetDynamix as a credible business. Unfortunately NetDynamix, through their crooked business practices, muddied 2OV’s name in the process but I commend you for your professional approach. You did not succumb to the bullying that Darren Shitbag Scott indulged in when he interviewed Shaun Dewberry on Ballz radio – it was pathetic and reinforced his Doos status after the K-bomb incident last year! I will definitely start listening to 2OV radio even though I am J’oburg based.
Seth

Hey @swisst – thanks for the comment. Don’t forget that the broadcast comes out of JHB. The current show, for example, is broadcasting from JHB – straight out of Melrose Arch! Stop by and say hi to the gang!

best,

Seth
http://URL Josh

I’ve got no comment on your deal with NetDynamix, bit it’s simply because of your attitude that I think you will come short again in future on issues unrelated to this saga. Only an ostrich has never heard of Ukhozi FM. I don’t need RAM’s to tell me…I know 100 Zulu Speakers and all of them listens to Ukhozi… now multiply that 10 000…and you’ll be the wiser when you say “physical FM radios being close to extinct”. Stop being arrogant and you’ll leave a legacy as an industry leader. Wise Up!
Seth

Thanks @josh – we agree with what you have said 100%.

I think we have responded thoroughly to this above in the comments.

Kind regards,

Seth
http://URL Jan

Although I never listen to radio (not even Internet radio), your response to this has been very professional and this says a lot about 2 oceansvibe. Keep up the good work guys!
http://URL JJ

Hi Seth

I have always considered you to being rather arrogant and “too big for your boots”, however in saying that, I think one of the reasons you have achieved your success is by being just that. This is my opinion and it is changing.

I am glad you approached this in a diplomatic manner and not “shoot from the hip” as expected from you.

New found respect

JJ
http://URL Busisiwe

I thought audits were done by auditors? Is Rudolph Muller qualified to perform radio audits, have he done them before? What are his methodologies etc to ensure that the “audited” numbers are right this time around
http://URL clinton

@Busisiwe
There’s quite a bit on mybrodaband about how the results were compiled and the diligence that went in to it. Have a look.
http://URL Ches

Agreed with Gavin, well done guys!

Darren Scott must be feeling like a fool.
http://URL John P

Not a dedicated listener, but I agree with most here; congrats on a well considered and mature response. Also, good responses to comments posted here.

Perhaps a hint: post the target market FM research in bold. Italics. Underlined. Maybe that will persuade people from making less measured comments r.e. uKhozi FM etc.

Deals with carriers for streaming to smartphone apps?
http://URL Jimjam

Pretty awesome response guys, except for this caveat:

“Motivation for extinction comment – we are referring to this high-end 8 to 10 LSM demographic. 2oceansvibe did a survey of 1,035 2oceansvibe News readers and 65% confirmed they didn’t have FM radios at the office. ”

To say “radio is close to extinct” from a survey of 2OVibers, noticeably missing the other 99% of population who DO tune into radios at home or in their cars regularly, is hardly a reliable comment.
StatsThoughts

It seems a bit like you’re mudding the stats to make it seem a lot higher. When you refer to 200 – 300 per hour, and then say your audience is actually peaking at 4000… this is per day. It’s apples vs oranges. Concurrent listenership vs entire listenership. Peaking at 4000 over 24 hours could average at 160 concurrent. I’m not trying to be argumentative. I think what you guys do is great and you must continue to grow. I think it’s just very important for the medium of internet streaming radio to have a true, and solid, factual grounding for people to understand things clearly
Not Fooled

hahaha, you are so full of yourself and full of shit.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIO0O6x63UDU&h=aAQHiLIJqAQHSoYxdYjtd2utvprtcXWp4kkCf6PNzVgxAaw&enc=AZPzH7OQh4sfHoaUniFJD32DMXeOB7Hwv5VLcZd1omZaKu8tsf-QmKOV_CDlwOIaxaYUMqv-4pXA6yq_ELvrP-5u
Such a shame

I have friends who are DJS on big and small radio stations it is so easy to see by the amount of listeners calling in for competition etc and you would definitely know if there where 200 people listening or 60 000. Such a shame people can behave like this for there personal gain. Hope the advertisers have sense and leave them for more honest people!
always a fan

These comments are obviously from other radio stations who are jealous of 2oceansvibe. How could you miss the part in this statement where it says the prices haven’t changed since before they even had listenership figures? If that is the case then 2oceansvibe would have no reason to lie. It is clear their prices weren’t linked to listenership figures and none of their clients have left them. I support 2ov all the way and think they are doing a brilliant job. Well done guys and keep up the good work.
RPA PROPERTY

WA HA HA…BUSTED!!!! The audit has been completed and 2 oceans vibe has only 4000 listeners max as opposed to the claimed 247 000. Thats a fat big difference and a clear case of fraud as the gap is way to big to be a ‘mistake’.

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2oceansvibe Response To Listenership Audit

02 Jul 2012 by Seth Rotherham in 2oceansvibe Radio, Featured

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