New Study from Arbitron Shows Los Angeles Bus Riders Consider On-Board Television to be their a Regular Source for News and Weather
Los Angeles bus riders spend over one and a half hours with Transit TV per day
NEW YORK, October 30, 2006 – New custom research from Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) reveals that 42 percent of Los Angeles bus riders consider Transit Television to be one of their regular sources for news and weather information. On average, riders spend one hour and thirty-four minutes exposed to the on-board television network.
The new study titled, Moving Entertainment: Arbitron Evaluation of Transit TV Network, explores commuters’ engagement with ad supported news and entertainment programming available on over 2,200 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) buses citywide. The study focuses both on the demographic composition of the Transit TV audience and the impact of commercials aired on the network.
“In the same way radio is the preferred out-of-home broadcast medium to reach people in their cars, Transit TV has shown to be an effective way to reach those additional commuters who take mass transportation,” says Diane Williams, Manager, Arbitron Custom Research. “
“While traditional media face an increasing struggle to reach a young audience, this study demonstrates Transit TV’s ability to frequently reach young, attentive and engaged viewers,” says Gerry Noble CEO and President of Transit TV.
Highlights from “Moving Entertainment: Arbitron Evaluation of Transit TV Network”
Teens and young adults account for the majority of Los Angeles bus riders with 58 percent of commuters being between the ages of 14 and 34. Over one-third (36 percent) of the total ridership are students. Eighty-six percent of LA bus commuters speak English as a first or second language. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, and persons of Hispanic/Latino origin or descent account for over half (52 percent) of riders.
The average Los Angeles bus commuter rides 4 days per week and spends a total of 1 hour and 34 minutes on board per day.
Transit TV screens seem to standout on the buses with 88 percent of travelers having noticed the video displays on a bus in the past week, and nearly three quarters (73 percent) say they actively watch the programming on some or all of their rides. News and weather were the most commonly recalled programming and 42 percent of riders said they consider Transit TV to be one of their regular sources for news and weather information.
Among those who watched the network during their commute, 8 out 10 could remember at least one of the six surveyed commercials aired that day on an aided basis. One of the ads tested was for a non-existent company called Transit Date. Commercials for the fictitious dating service, promising a love match for LA commuters, ran two times per hour exclusively on Transit TV during the test period; yet over half (57 percent) of those who watched Transit TV that day remembered seeing an ad for the fictional brand.
How the Study Was Conducted
Arbitron surveyed a total of 1,615 people age 14 and older on randomly selected MTA buses in Los Angeles from June 13 through June 20, 2006 to gather basic information on total ridership. The interviews were conducted on-board 25 different buses operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) across five regions, including Gateway Cities, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay and Westside/Central. Riders were offered an incentive of $2 to provide basic demographic information, including sex, age, employment status, ethnicity, languages spoken and their estimated time spent on LACMTA buses that day. Respondents were given the option of taking the survey in English or Spanish.
Arbitron surveyed an additional 350 riders at randomly selected bus stops across the same five LACMTA regions from July 27 through August 1, 2006 to further explore Transit TV viewership. These respondents were offered a $5 incentive to participate in a longer on-site survey to gauge their awareness and engagement with the Transit Television Network displays. Respondents were given the option of taking the survey in English or Spanish.
To download the complete exclusive summary of the research, please visit http://www.transitv.com/arbitronStudy.html
For more information, please contact Diane Williams, Manager, Arbitron Custom Research ( diane.williams@arbitron.com ).
About Transit Television Network
Transit TV generates 11 million weekly impressions through its network of 8750 television screens on nearly 4000 transit vehicles across Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando and Milwaukee. Transit TV is the largest broadcast network specifically targeting transit riders across
Transit TV is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation,
For more information please contact Robert Bridge, Vice President, Marketing ( rbridge@transitv.com )
About Arbitron Inc.
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The Company has also developed the Portable People Meter (PPMSM), a new technology for media and marketing research.
Arbitron’s marketing and business units are supported by its research and technology organization, located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron has approximately 1,700 employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.
Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with VNU, Inc., Arbitron also provides media and marketing research services to the broadcast television, magazine, newspaper and online industries.
