Archive for August 4, 2009
Pandora Chooses Katz 360
Since they announced that they were planning to sell more audio ads, I’ve been wondering which Internet radio ad network Pandora would align themselves with. It certainly makes sense for them to partner with a network, and the choice of Katz 360 is a good one for Pandora. They already sell many cross platform opportunities that integrate display ads, mobile offerings, as well as audio ads, and Katz 360 has specifically marketed itself as more than just an online audio network.
In addition, Katz’ connections and expertise in traditional radio ad sales will enable Pandora to play in another sandbox – that of radio ad dollars. Pandora’s already been doing a pretty good job monetizing with interactive ad dollars. The Katz name, connections, and extensive list of broadcast stations streams have enabled them to successfully convert traditional radio advertisers to online radio advertisers as well, and this is no doubt appealing to Pandora.
The addition of Pandora is a huge win for Katz – and one that they were looking for, since their main competitor Targetspot includes CBS’s network with AOL, Yahoo and Last.fm; as well as Goom Radio and Slacker within its network.
While audience figures for Pandora have not been released yet, they did announce last spring that they would be measured by Ando Media’s Webcast Metrics, an audience measurement product that both Katz and Targetspot now use.
