Bridge Ratings research finds little listener interest in adding news to pureplay streams

bridgeratingspiechartDo you want to hear more than music on your favorite pureplay streaming service? The findings from a study by Bridge Ratings indicate that many people are content with the status quo of songs only.

Bridge Ratings surveyed the listeners of music streaming services, excluding online streams of AM/FM broadcasters, and many respondents said they would listen to those platforms less if they also included news or traffic updates. “Adding news or commuter traffic content is likely not going to enhance the experience for most users of these services,” said Dave Van Dyke, Bridge Ratings’ president. He added that those users who would scale back their listening often turn to streaming services in order to avoid news and traffic.

If news updates were added, 42 percent of respondents said they would listen less, and 45 percent would listen less if streams included traffic reports. Only 18 percent said they would listen more to streams with news and 20 percent would listen more with traffic updates. Despite the low interest in traffic or news, the results found more openness to non-music content that still had ties to the tunes. Artist bios or interviews and commentaries from recording sessions or tours would be more acceptable within the pureplay environment, according to at least 40 percent of the survey respondents.

Anna Washenko