The future of 6 Music may be decided later this month; a recent survey suggests that keeping the station alive should form part of the BBC’s duty, regardless of whether recent publicity has engaged a sufficiently large enough audience to justify its existence to the number crunchers.

Over the last few months BBC 6 Music has successfully managed to do something it previously had not been notable for; namely commanding a significant share of radio listeners and attracting correspondingly high levels of media and public interest. (According to recently released RAJAR figures* the digital station was up 47% on the previous quarter and 50% on the year, bringing it to a total of 1.02m listeners in Q1 2010.)

The catalyst for this growth certainly appears to be the leak back in February that the BBC was considering shutting the station down, officially confirmed by a Mark Thompson announcement in March; a move which has resulted in public outcry, a protest outside Broadcasting House, with another planned for 22 May and huge media publicity.

As an aside, given that the news broke with only a month of the first quarter to go, one could argue that 6 Music’s listening figures might actually be higher than RAJAR (who calculate an average across the quarter) have reported. If the leaked closure of the station is indeed the catalyst to huge growth, it will be interesting to see what the figures look like in Q2 – can we expect the ‘save the station’ campaign to drive the station’s listenership up to as high as 1.5 million, perhaps?

Either way, the corporation has certainly achieved the recommendation of the BBC Trust that 6 Music should increase its profile (albeit accidentally.) In many ways, this whole episode has been similar to a parent dealing with a stubborn child who refuses to eat its dinner; people only became interested in the station when it was threatened to be taken away.

While only a small number of people actually listened to 6 Music before, it seems what has really captured public interest is the principle behind the announcement, which is felt to run counter to the BBC’s remit. Indeed, a number of campaigns to save 6 Music are championing the station’s minority status as a clear justification why it should keep running. As, BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Chris Addison was quoted as saying: “6 Music serves a minority interest, does it? Then it’s heartland BBC.*”

Recent data from a GfK NOP Technology survey amongst a representative sample of UK residents with internet access further supports this case.

The survey revealed that the majority of UK adults were not specifically concerned about the closure of 6 Music (or the Asian network, another threatened station); with only around a fifth (18%) stating they had any direct interest in the closure. This is not entirely surprising, given that 6 Music is very much a niche station (in comparison, Radio 1 attracted approximately 11.7 million listeners in the last quarter.)

However, what does emerge clearly is a view on what the public feel the BBC should be delivering: 53% of adults agree that the BBC “has a duty to fulfil the needs of niche interest groups in the UK”, a figure which rises to 60% amongst 16 – 34 year olds.

Furthermore, 64% agree that the BBC’s roster should be diverse enough to “satisfy all wider ranging interests, both mainstream and niche”. Again, amongst 16-34 year olds, this rises to almost 70%.

These wider ranging interests are exactly what the likes of 6 Music deliver; a place to get to new, exciting music that will never be covered by mainstream stations. Of course, as the Trust pointed out in its review last year, the BBC has to prioritise expenditure and in order to justify its existence it is not enough to simply broadcast, the station must deliver an audience to the content. However, I can’t help but feel there’s a middle ground here – why should ‘popular’ (as opposed to classical) music stations always have to resort to lowest common denominator playlists? – in my opinion, removing such diversity is against what we pay the licence fee for and I would hope there would be room for both.

Furthermore, although it was somewhat accidental, the BBC has in many ways done what it set out to do (cater to a niche market, enhance creative offerings and engage a bigger audience.) So, while listening figures tell one story, this episode also highlights the importance of the BBC to engage with audiences, in order to stimulate debate, campaign and a greater sense of ‘civic-ness’ first.

While it’s perhaps not the best time to be quoting Gordon Brown, the ex-prime minister recently summed up quite eloquently why I feel the BBC must accommodate 6 Music in its budget once the BBC Trust consultation exercise comes to its decision on 25 May.

When asked whether he was in favour of keeping the station, Mr Brown stated: “Yes because it’s the next stage you worry about. A lot of things that the BBC does are incredibly creative and quite risky…
…But this is a necessary means of us being a creative society.”

Want to read more?
There are many excellent, heart-felt articles about this issue. Here are a selection:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/feb/27/bbc-to-cancel-6-music
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/07/6-music-asian-network-review

* Sources for used figures & quotations:
http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-6-music-opposition-closure
http://www.nme.com/news/lady-gaga/50636

RESEARCH NOTES:

GfK NOP Technology conducted a survey among 862 UK adults in March 2010. The interviews were conducted online and are representative on UK adults who have access to the internet.

Social media campaigns via popular sites like Facebook may be able to get ‘Rage Against The Machine’ to Number One in the music charts but they will have little influence on the outcome of the 2010 UK general election. In contrast, the televised election debates will prove a powerful platform for the three main political parties.

GfK NOP Technology research conducted online (so we would also expect a skew towards online sources) shows that TV debates have the most influence on how we vote as a nation. Despite the fieldwork for our survey being conducted after only the first of three televised debates on 16 April, they are still the number one source of information for the election on 6 May.

As an example of this contrast, official viewing figures suggest that around 8.4m viewers watched the third debate, vs. 3.2 m UK visitors to the BBC news website (with 350,000 streaming the debates online).

Interestingly, a similar number of people had watched party political broadcasts and election news (45%) as the TV debates (49%) but their influence varies considerably. Of those who watched TV debates 26% said that they had had the biggest impact on who they would vote for. Conversely, for party political broadcasts or election news on TV, this fell to just 10%.

In an election where it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between the parties and navigate through the spin, the TV debates have provided a platform for UK voters to truly assess each party. The TV debates put the party leaders on the spot, not in terms of questioning, (I’m sure they’re fully briefed) but in the way they respond to each other.

Debates offer the chance to see the personality behind the policy (or perhaps a carefully sculptured version of that image), which is more than can be offered by a written press release. Although the three candidates are still mainly dealing in easily-digestible sound bites, the televised debates offer those members of the public who perhaps don’t have the time or the inclination to read the manifestos in depth to get a grasp on the key issues.

In contrast, internet sources lack the ‘live’ human connection the TV debates provide. Twelve per cent of the UK have read election news via broadsheets’ online news websites, but only  two per cent of this group say that it was the biggest influence on their vote. The main social media site to register any influence was Facebook, where six per cent of people had discussed politics, but only one per cent of this group said it was the most influential source of information about the election.

The lack of influence from social media could also be down to a lack of investment and understanding. The Conservative Party have probably considered this medium the most, but overall, all three main parties’ online and social media strategies are pretty poor. For example, there are no obvious attempts to link social media platforms, like Facebook, to party promotional material. Furthermore, Labour MP Stuart MacLennan showed a complete lack of understanding about how Twitter works (you say things that are controversial… it spreads pretty quickly) and was consequently sacked for inappropriate comments.

Whether it’s a lack of interest from the public or a lack of understanding by UK political parties, online and social media will have little influence on how people vote on 6 May. Despite this, we strongly believe that new media will play a bigger role in future elections, just as it is increasingly influencing other areas of society.

For all those interested in the data from this survey you can view it

RESEARCH NOTES:

GfK NOP Technology conducted a survey among 1279 UK adults between 16^th and 21^st April 2010. The interviews were conducted online and are representative on UK adults who have access to the internet.

A recent UK study finds consumers have less faith in Facebook than either Microsoft or Google to keep their personal information private

Social networking sites typically involve disclosing often very personal information to your circle of friends and to this end, it is important to have faith that the social networking brand will respect the privacy of this information.  Recent research by GfK Technology indicates, however, that Facebook has lower levels of trust in keeping personal information private than either Microsoft or Google.  Given the remarkably high levels of usage of Facebook this is clearly a concern for the brand owners.

This illustrates the dilemma facing organisations such as Facebook – whilst consumer behaviour or personal information can be key to creating new services that are enjoyed by users, there is often a sense of unease about data being used in this way.  Furthermore, as is likely the case with Facebook, the illicit activity of unscrupulous users of the service (such as those posing as friends in order to conduct fraud of some description) has a knock-on effect for the brand.

It is also very likely that changes to Facebook’s privacy policy introduced last year have had an impact on consumer perceptions with much comment that they are designed to ‘nudge’ consumers into publicly sharing much more information.  Facebook meanwhile indicate that they are simply trying to encourage people to be more open with their updates.  Whatever the rights and wrongs in this situation if consumers suspect that the level of privacy that they signed up for is changing and even worse changing without their full awareness they will quickly start losing faith.  Facebook have recently made a few changes to the privacy settings control panel as part of an ongoing review of their data privacy policy. This time round, Facebook needs to effectively manage consumers’ expectations and their understanding of its privacy policy for consumers to place more trust in the service.

As cloud computing solutions become much more widespread the public debate over privacy and the use of personal information will reach new heights.  There could easily be significant public backlashes against brands that are considered to be making the wrong move in this space.

Research Info

*1000 online interviews were conducted by GfK NOP among a UK representative sample of internet users. The fieldwork was conducted between 12th – 15th February 2010

Users of Google Chrome are young and heavy users of the internet. By attracting this demographic they are best placed to topple Internet Explorer from top spot in the browser wars

We recently showed that Internet Explorer’s UK market share is being eroded by the recent EU enforced . Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are the main beneficiaries as they continue to increase their share of the internet browser market, but where exactly is this growth coming from? We have used the GfK browser data to understand who exactly is using the different browsers and what this all means.

GfK Technology data shows that 36% of Google Chrome users are aged 16-24. The young and their openness to alternatives has always been a stronghold for Mozilla Firefox, but with only 30% of their users aged 16-24 it seems that Google Chrome is increasingly becoming the trendy alternative to Internet Explorer. Having said that, Internet Explorer still leads the market with 56% of UK internet users, but this share is falling and will continue to do so with the introduction of the browser ballot. Most worryingly for Internet Explorer is the fact that those who spend longest on the internet fall into the youngest age groups; Google Chromes largest market. 16-24 year olds are most likely to have grown up with the internet and 70% of them spend 20 or more hours on the internet each week. In comparison, 57% of 35-44 year olds (Internet Explorer’s largest market) spend 20 or more hours on the internet each week. The once dominant browser is losing share to both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox in the areas where it would least want to; those that are young and those who use the internet the most.

Google Chrome continues to grow since its release in 2008. It may only have a 10% market share at the moment but its users are more likely to be online than any Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer user (72% of Google Chrome users spend 20 or more hours online per week). Google Chrome will only enhance Google’s ambition to get everybody online using all things Google.

For a full demographic breakdown of the internet browser usage

How we collect the data

Each month GfK NOP conduct a UK based online survey among UK adults aged 16 and over. The sample is representative of UK adults who use the internet ten hours or more per month. It is important to note that we do not ask a question about which browser the respondent uses, instead, our servers determine the respondent’s browser used to complete the survey. This data is therefore more robust than stated survey data as it is based on actual usage.

Monthly sample size; March 2010 (n=1226)

Since Windows introduced a browser ballot at the start of March, GfK Technology research shows that Internet Explorer has lost market share in the UK. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have been the main beneficiaries of this new EU enforced regulation.

It was inevitable that Internet Explorer would lose some of its market share when its users were offered alternative browsers at the start of March. The EU thought it was essential that consumers should be offered a choice of browser, to stimulate competition in the browser market.

Early data suggests that when faced with an option, UK consumers have opted for an alternative browser. As we approach the end of March we can see that since the beginning of the month Internet Explorer’s market share in the UK has dropped 5%, with Google Chrome and Firefox each gaining an additional 3% market share.

We will continue to track the developments of internet browser usage over the course of the year so check back for more data and analysis over the next few months. If you’re interested, GfK Technology has been tracking consumer usage of internet browsers since the start of 2009 and we have created a shared Google document with our latest data

How we collect the data

Each month GfK NOP conduct a UK based online survey among UK adults aged 16 and over. The sample is representative of UK adults who use the internet ten hours or more per month. It is important to note that we do not ask the question directly, instead, our servers determine the respondent’s browser used to complete the survey. This data is therefore more robust than stated survey data as it is based on actual usage.

Monthly sample sizes were as follows; February (n=1231) and March (n=1226)

GfK NOP research reveals most popular online brands in communication, entertainment and information services

The ‘Connected Life’ study, which asked 2,000 UK internet users about their favourite services, found 60% of music users stream music directly from the internet. While iTunes still leads the direct-streaming arena (17%), Spotify is coming up at a close second, with 12%.  Looking at all digital music users (not just direct streamers), 11% of these have used Spotify, making this fourth most popular digital music service, behind the more established Real Player (13%), Amazon (24%) and ITunes (50%). Another newcomer, Last.FM, also fares well with seven per cent having used the service; ahead of two of the pioneers of digital music mp3.com (5%) and Napster (4%).

Babita Earle, Divisional Director at GfK Technology comments:

“We’re finding that, while a few big, well-established brands tend to dominate, there are several newer services fast gaining ground and gaining market share. In all these online markets, where take-up of competitors’ services can rocket up exponentially through positive word of mouth on blogs and social networks, the big players will be keeping careful watch on these fast-moving, smaller challengers.”

Mapping and navigation is dominated by Google Maps, with 72% of those questioned having used the service. The AA follows with 40%, shortly ahead of Multimap (35%). No other brand scores in double digits – with Mapquest (7%), MSN Maps (4%), Yahoo Maps (4%) and Streetmap (3%) making up the rest of the top eight respectively.

While the dominance of Facebook in social networking is of little surprise, the extent of its popularity perhaps is. Almost three quarters (74%) of those questioned use Facebook as their main provider; with next in the list Myspace and Twitter scoring just 4% each. Bebo follows, with 2%, while a scattering of less popular networks each score 1% usage, or less, as the main provider.

Popularity in the Instant Messaging sector makes interesting reading – with the second favourite being via a social media network (16%); pointing to an increase in usage of IM as a result of the rise in social networking. MSN dominates the sector with 50% using them as their main provider, with Yahoo (8%) in third; followed by Skype (6%), AIM (5%) and Google Talk (2%).

MSN Hotmail’s long established lead in email remains strong – scoring 33% usage amongst those questioned. Yahoo (14%) follows in popularity; ahead of via media provider (10%) and via social network (6%). Google’s Gmail service records just 6% usage.

The Voice Over IP sector is topped by Skype – recording 60% usage – significantly ahead of its nearest rival Google Talk (13%). Just two other providers score more than 1% – VoIP.com and Gizmo, both with 3%.

Finally, pioneer Miniclip.com shares top spot in gaming with MSN Games – both recording 17% usage. Yahoo Games and Amazon follow (both with 15%); ahead of Addicting Games (10%) and ITunes (9%).

For more information about the Connected Life study please click here.