Downloads vs Streaming

This is the place where you can conflab about all the other stuff besides videogames
Post Reply
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

I'm just curious how many people download podcasts and how many people stream and how this affects the statistics for the actual podcast.

I personally stream everything as I've never wanted to listen to a podcast and not been able to due to lack of data so it isn't worth downloading everything before I want to listen to it and having everything set to auto download would just fill up my phone pretty quickly.

So I'm wondering if plays through streams add to your stats the same way that downloads do. Is 1 stream equal to 1 download? Also if someone downloads an issue of the podcast and then keeps it and listens to it again a bit further down the line have you missed out on what could have been 2 streams in what was only 1 download?
User avatar
JaySevenZero
Admin
Posts: 2643
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:28 pm
Location: Liverpool, Europe, Earth
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by JaySevenZero »

I don't believe that whether you stream or download initially affects the numbers as the data is counted from the moment a connection is made to the source.

However, I would have thought that downloading an episode and storing it on your device would most likely be counted only a single time and not per listen.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

That's what I was thinking. So when you look at your statistics you are likely missing a few plays from when people are re-listening to an episode they had already downloaded. Therefore your actual total of listens would be higher than your statistics show.

I read something recently that said around 90% of the total listens of any given episode of any podcast happen within the first week of the episode's release (I guess this changes when episodes are released twice such as on a Patreon feed and then a standard release) but this percentage could actually be lower if the repeat listens don't show up in any statistics.

As I say I stream everything so I don't know what people do with downloads. I'd like to assume they would download and listen and then delete the file and then re-download if they want to re-listen but if people stockpile all of their downloaded podcasts to listen to again without re-downloading then it could make a difference to the statistics and you could actually be getting more listens than you realise.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

I imagine most people don't do that and that percentage would only drop from 90% to 89% so it wouldn't really make a difference it's just something I thought might be worth mentioning.

EDIT: I guess it also depends on if people re-listening actually matters or if you are only interested in new listeners.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

Yes, we almost certainly are getting some unrecorded listens, but at least we’re aware that’s the case.

It’s not such an important metric for us anyway, although of course the idea that people are listening is the main thing - and repeated listens suggest we’re doing something right.

Download numbers are nice, and gratifying when they’re good, but the only number that actually makes any tangible, practical difference to how we operate at this point is the Patreon total (obviously though, the more downloads we get the more likely that is to increase)!

Of course, if we elect to take paid advertising on the free (non Patreon) feed then the download figures suddenly become much more relevant.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

The podcast app that I use as default has everything to auto download on release which I wasn't aware of for a few weeks so I unknowingly downloaded a few things (from multiple podcasts not just you guys) that I didn't intend to listen to and deleted once I had realised so thought this might have fudged the stats a bit too as those downloads didn't become actual listens. But if those numbers don't mean that much to you then it doesn't really matter does it.

As for the advert thing that's quite a toss up isn't it because on the one hand it would be incentive for people to sign up for the Patreon to avoid adverts but then on the other hand there is a chance that the adverts will just deter people from listening in the first place.

I don't really envy you guys when it comes to thinking about this stuff.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

Almost every podcast I listen to has advertising now. I tend to skip them or switch off mentally during them, but I guess they work because advertisers continue to book them.

We’re only going to take advertising if we can find a solution that both Jay and I are comfortable with. It wouldn’t be a massive earner for us with the numbers we get (advertising only pays what you could call big bucks to the hugest shows), but it would help a bit.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

The worst one for it that I listen to (that I won't name here) used to only have adverts at the end so you could easily ignore them but now they are plonked right in the middle so there is no way of really getting around them. Of course they do tell you that if you want to listen without the adverts you can sign up to the Patreon but then they want $5 per month!

I completely understand that people should be paid for the content that they create and that we should all consider ourselves lucky to get anything for free but $5 seems really steep for a biweekly podcast especially when compared to how much you guys offer for only $1 per month.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

We are probably doing ourselves a disservice in some ways, but as we’ve said elsewhere, we’d rather have 1000 $1 patrons than 200 $5 patrons.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

Yeah I agree I think I would feel the same. However it does make me think that you could bump the price up a bit and still retain the vast majority of the subscribers you have now,

It's another toss up decision though isn't it which I'm sure you've thought about a lot.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

Aye. As we’ve also said elsewhere, if every person who downloaded the show agreed with you that $1 is a very fair proposal, we would be getting enough in through the Patreon to go full time and make more content, better researched shows, and we wouldn’t even need to consider adding adverts to the free feed.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

See there is a weird thing there that even though I think you probably deserve more than $1 per month, when I see that that is the minimum a big part of me says why should I pay more when I can get away only paying $1 which I have to assume a lot of other people will do too and won't want to pay more where as if for instance you had the minimum set at $2 most people would probably just pay it. I'm sure there's some psychological way of working that stuff out but it would take a greater mind than my own.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

As a side note I have actually just talked myself into upping my subscription from $1 to $2.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

Aw, well that’s very kind o’ ya.
User avatar
FemalePheromones
Member
Posts: 256
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 7:17 am
Location: Oxford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by FemalePheromones »

No problem!
User avatar
KissMammal
Member
Posts: 523
Joined: August 22nd, 2014, 5:52 pm

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by KissMammal »

ratsoalbion wrote: June 25th, 2019, 11:25 am Almost every podcast I listen to has advertising now. I tend to skip them or switch off mentally during them, but I guess they work because advertisers continue to book them.

We’re only going to take advertising if we can find a solution that both Jay and I are comfortable with. It wouldn’t be a massive earner for us with the numbers we get (advertising only pays what you could call big bucks to the hugest shows), but it would help a bit.
A few podcasts have ads in their public feed versions but offer ad-free versions to Patreons - seems very fair to me.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by Flabyo »

One of the podcasts I listen to runs ads, but they read them out themselves in a 1940s radio announcer style while Spanish Flea plays in the background.
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

KissMammal wrote: June 25th, 2019, 6:15 pm
ratsoalbion wrote: June 25th, 2019, 11:25 am Almost every podcast I listen to has advertising now. I tend to skip them or switch off mentally during them, but I guess they work because advertisers continue to book them.

We’re only going to take advertising if we can find a solution that both Jay and I are comfortable with. It wouldn’t be a massive earner for us with the numbers we get (advertising only pays what you could call big bucks to the hugest shows), but it would help a bit.
A few podcasts have ads in their public feed versions but offer ad-free versions to Patreons - seems very fair to me.
Exactly what we were talking about, aye.
User avatar
Simonsloth
Member
Posts: 1639
Joined: November 22nd, 2017, 7:17 am
Location: London
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by Simonsloth »

Leon your humility “angle” has made me increase my pledge too!
User avatar
ratsoalbion
Admin
Posts: 7918
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 9:41 am
Location: Brighton, England
Contact:

Re: Downloads vs Streaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

🥰
Post Reply