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BDS merges into MediaBase.

davideduardo

Moderator/Administrator
Staff member
On November 1, BDS will "be retired" and BDS will be merged into Mediabase. So, apparently, we will have just one airplay and streaming music monitoring service to go to for song and format monitoring.
 
On November 1, BDS will "be retired" and BDS will be merged into Mediabase. So, apparently, we will have just one airplay and streaming music monitoring service to go to for song and format monitoring.

Isn't BDS the Nielsen system that feeds Billboard? And Mediabase is owned by iHeart?


Billboard bought BDS in 2019.
 
Isn't BDS the Nielsen system that feeds Billboard? And Mediabase is owned by iHeart?
Yep. It belonged to Nielsen, who sold it to Billboard's parent.
Billboard bought BDS in 2019.
Billboard seems to be selling assets. They now only publish about 22 issues a year, and I just got an offer for $42 for 6 months... back in the day, it was several hundred dollars a year.
 
Billboard seems to be selling assets. They now only publish about 22 issues a year, and I just got an offer for $42 for 6 months... back in the day, it was several hundred dollars a year.

If it's true (and I haven't heard from my friends at either operation yet) then the mighty have truly fallen.
 
If it's true (and I haven't heard from my friends at either operation yet) then the mighty have truly fallen.
Because this is such an unexpected and strange development, I am trying to make sure that the email I received is legitimate.

I can't imagine that anyone would hack or fake this kind of announcement, but it is worth double checking.
 
Sorting through the PR-speak, it sounds like both services will access the same data, but use it in their own ways. There are several key differences between the Mediabase and Billboard charts, and it sounds as though they will remain. Data is data. The difference is how it's interpreted and presented.
 
Here's Inside Radio's version of the press release:


There's a story on Billboard.com, but it's behind a paywall. The fact is that BDS was primarily organized around on-air radio. Billboard sees itself in a broader view, incorporating streaming and other forms of music listening. So as on-air radio usage declines, they will emphasize the fact that their charts reflect more than on-air listening. The press release talks about "other partners" in coming months, and I'm sure they will reflect online listening. Mediabase measure listening on some Sirius channels as well as Music Choice. But not Spotify or the other major streamers. They offer their own in-house music charts.
 
Once again, the long-term shareholders get screwed. A company has to be making money, have the cash on hand and able to service its debt to pay a dividend. There are “one time” special dividends often used as a “poison pill” to fend off hostile takeovers but that another thread. If you buy a dividend playing stock chances are very good, they are sound financially. You can not fake cash. Nielson has stated they are reducing the dividend from 35 to 6 cents*. Where will the 29 cents per share go? I can only guess that the “positive cashflow” that generates the missing 19 cents a share is leaving Nielson going to “the Global Connect business”. A stable profitable business that does several things well is being slit up so the two stocks can become “plays” and be attractive to options players which often amplify the stock price up or down. The hedge fund Elliot Management want to “unlock the value”. The M & A guys and their lawyers will get fees. I hope that neither of the companies are loaded down with debt.



IMHO: This doesn’t appear to be Morris trust or leveraged deal like the Big 3 Radio Station operators were burdened with, I don’t think either companies are “buy and hold”. Some of the “smart money” (Vanguard, Blackrock, and Fidelity Management and Research) are starting to sell a significant number of shares**. The details of the deal will make or break either of the companies.



*Nielsen Is Breaking Up – Here’s What You Need To Know.

**NLSN - Nielsen Holdings PLC Shareholders - CNNMoney.com
 
Once again, the long-term shareholders get screwed. A company has to be making money, have the cash on hand and able to service its debt to pay a dividend. There are “one time” special dividends often used as a “poison pill” to fend off hostile takeovers but that another thread. If you buy a dividend playing stock chances are very good, they are sound financially. You can not fake cash. Nielson has stated they are reducing the dividend from 35 to 6 cents*. Where will the 29 cents per share go?
Nielsen is not involved in this BDS / Mediabase deal. Billboard bought BDS, and MediaBase is an iHeart company. BigA has a good description of the deal.

Oh, and there are plenty of non-dividend paying companies that are good investments. Usually they are new companies in a growth period where the profits are plowed back into the enterprise for additional growth.

In this case, Nielsen is in the process of splitting into two companies, and it makes sense to preserve cash for the process.
 
That’s my point with the economy head into a recession (if the Federal Reserve Board has its way) why make a move that apparently is going to require holding on to cash? Nielson is an S & P 500 firm. The S & P 500 is down almost 17% from Sept 23 2021 till Sept 1st 2022*(before the breakup announcement IIRC), Nielson is up almost 40% the same period. Gartner Inc Listed as a competitor is down around 40% the same period***. Also, comScore listed as another competitor is down almost 30%**** the same time period.

Good dividend paying stocks usually can be counted on to pay in dividends more than what a bank will pay in interest and don’t require a lot of research (lazy). A non-dividend paying stock is only worth what somebody is will to pay for the shares. The non-dividend stocks require lots research and you should have some knowledge or understanding of what kind of business it does. I personally have done well buying “out of favor” stocks with lots of cash and sufficient ENDITA to handed debt. on hand and waiting till some annalist declares it “the next big thing”. Personally, I try to anticipate swings. I have never had any real success trying to buy stock with “momentum”.

It’s kind of like a casino, where the Hedge Funds, brokerages, institutional and large investors are the house.


BTW: If you really like to gamble play the derivates in the NSE and BSE (both are in India). The start ups on the BSE are not for the faint of heart either.

*s & P 500 - Google Search

** Nielson stock price - Google Search

*** gartner inc stock - Google Search

****SCOR price quote - Google Search
 
Variety has the BDS story completely wrong, reporting that there won't be "dueling charts:"


That will finally create an end to the confusion of whether a song has hit No. 1 on one or both charts in a given format. Of course, in the case of very close calls at the finish line, this will also mark the end of a time when songs had a shot of claiming a No. 1 at either Billboard or Mediabase.

This statement is completely wrong. The difference between the charts has never been the data. The two charts use similar banks of radio station reporters,. The difference is how that data is used, and the rules under which those charts operate. Billboard has not announced that it will merely duplicate the Mediabase charts. They will continue to interpret the data their way. For example, the chart week for Mediabase ends Saturday, while Billboard ends Sunday. Unless Billboard adopts the same chart rules as Mediabase, the two charts will remain different.
 
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