音频在许多方面与视频有着本质区别，商业模式也需要反映出这一点。随着流媒体变得无处不在，音频提供商必须认识到消费者更倾向于免费选择这一事实。毕竟，广告机会就在那里。
尼尔森对美国消费者对流媒体平台的看法进行的一项特别调查发现，在视频领域，绝大多数流媒体用户（超过 90%）至少订阅了一项付费流媒体服务。而在音频领域，一半以上（53%）的消费者使用免费的、广告支持的流媒体音频服务（27% 订阅）。
一直以来，消费者都能获得免费的音频娱乐，因此美国人不愿为此付费也就不足为奇了。无论我们以何种方式收听，消费者都希望音乐流媒体服务和广播是免费的，这一点与视频流媒体领域有着明显的不同，在视频流媒体领域，内容提供商将不同的节目分隔到特定的服务中，以此来吸引用户。
根据我们对广播在音频领域的持久影响的了解，我们在流媒体领域看到的一切并不令人耳目一新。自媒体出现以来，广告支持的免费音频一直是常态。不可否认的是，音频爱好者对广播收听一直情有独钟，自广播首次登陆电波以来，广播一直是全面收听体验的基础。这也解释了为什么广播仍是媒体领域的核心之一，每周有 92% 的美国成年听众收听广播，超过其他任何平台。
These insights aren’t lost on the advertising world: Big billion-dollar brands are (re)awakening to audio-based ad solutions. They know that reach matters; it’s a fundamental component of successful ad campaigns and a necessary ingredient when building awareness and moving products off the shelf. Ad-supported audio (and specifically, radio) offers a compelling opportunity to reach consumers en masse in today’s highly fragmented and streaming-crazed world. While video streaming tends to dominate the media headlines, audio streaming is also quickly becoming a staple of U.S. consumers’ media diet. Audio offers a unique, intimate experience for listeners and the advertisers aiming to reach them. And as detailed in the latest 尼尔森观众总数报告, ease of use, variety of content and cost rank highly among audio streamers.
While different business models have varied pros and cons, the ad-supported model has the advantage of uncapped earning potential. At some point, even the most successful subscription model will face growth challenges as its subscriber pools fill up. That’s not the case with the ad-supported model. Yes, it’s tempting to get swept up in the fanfare around the latest subscription video services, but in the audio world, the focus for broadcasters, podcasters and creators is unchanged: Develop quality content that keeps audiences coming back regardless of platform or ad model—just as it’s been since the dawn of radio.
