Virgin Radio Joins Arbitron InfoStream Service
U.K. outlet a leading Internet radio service; 4.11.00

NEW YORK, April 11, 2000—London-based Virgin Radio, the United Kingdom’s most popular commercial radio station, has become the first international Webcaster to join Arbitron’s InfoStreamSM ratings service.

Virgin Radio’s Internet channel, www.virginradio.co.uk, recorded a monthly audience of 205,000 listeners in December. This would have placed the webcaster as number one in the rankings had it joined the InfoStream service in time to be included in the ratings. Additionally, “streamies,” online listeners who tuned into the Web channel, spent an average of 50 minutes listening online to Virgin Radio in December.

“The global popularity of Virgin Radio is due in no small part to the way all our DJs have embraced the Internet and ensure global participation and feedback via an international phone link and e-mail access directly into the studios,” said John Ousby, director of Online, Virgin Radio. “We’ve also been successful in securing global exclusives such as the recent Oasis webcast and Paul McCartney day online, which pulled in thousands of listeners from all the world. All our activities are cross-promoted heavily on-air and online. Virgin Radio has long been recognized as the most popular online radio station in Europe, and it’s great news to hear we’re topping the charts in the Arbitron InfoStream service.”

About Internet Use In the United Kingdom
As of January 2000, nearly seven million of the 24.7 million homes in the U.K. have access to the Internet, according to Continental Research, an Arbitron Company based in London. Home Internet access has exploded, growing from five percent of U.K. households in December 1997 to 28 percent in January 2000. Of the total U.K. population for persons 15+, 19.6 million individuals have access to the Internet at home, work or school—accounting for 42% of persons 15+.

In the United States, 55% of Americans, age 12+, have access to the Internet at home, work or school, according to Arbitron’s latest study of the online listener conducted in January 2000. (Get the study, Internet IV: The Buying Power of Streamies, online).

About Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio is a Hot AC station that plays a mix of modern pop and rock hits of today and the 80s and 90s. Featured artists include Robie Williams, Texas, REM, Travis, Madonna and U2. The station is wholly owned by Scottish Media Group (SMG) plc. It was the first European radio station to broadcast continually on the Internet beginning in 1996.

Virgin Radio is heard over-the-air by 3.9 million listeners each week. This according to the latest ratings published by RAJAR, the British industry organization that tabulates radio audiences for commercial and non-commercial radio outlets. The station’s monthly cumulative broadcast audience is 6.3 million listeners. (RAJAR U.K. radio audience surveys are based on Adults aged 15+.) Virgin Radio is broadly aimed at the 20-44 year old demographic. It reaches more 20-44 year olds (2.7 million weekly) than any other commercial station in the U.K. Virgin Radio broadcasts on 1215AM nation-wide, 105.8FM in London and the South East and around the world on www.virginradio.co.uk.

About Arbitron InfoStream
InfoStream provides its clients with broadcast-relevant metrics and its measures are compatible with conventional broadcast audience ratings. InfoStream is a server-side measurement, which captures all tuning to participating streamed media channels by compiling a census of Internet tuning sessions of unique players. Internet streaming services being measured by InfoStream are Access 21, Activate.net, Audioscape, Broadcastweb Network, Ginger Online, INTERVU, iCastMusic/Activate.net, NextVenue, RealBroadcast Networks and Evoke.

For further information about the InfoStream service, contact Joan FitzGerald at 410-312-8380 or joan.fitzgerald@arbitron.com.

About Arbitron

The Arbitron Company is an international media and marketing research firm providing services to broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies in the United States and Europe. In the United States, Arbitron measures local radio audiences, and develops qualitative measures of local consumers through RetailDirect and through Scarborough Research, a joint venture of The Arbitron Company and VNU Marketing Information Services. TAPSCAN WORLDWIDE®, part of the Arbitron family, offers a host of software services that simplify both data and analysis and the buy/sell process. In the United Kingdom and Europe, Continental Research, a unit of The Arbitron Company, conducts market research in the media, financial and telecommunications and advertising arenas. Arbitron Internet Information Services provides survey research, consulting and methodological services including InfoStream, America’s first webcast ratings service.

Arbitron is a Ceridian company. Ceridian Corporation is a leading information services company that serves the human resources, transportation and media information markets. Ceridian's human resources businesses offer HR/benefits solutions that support organizations' complete employment life cycle and maximize their investment in people. Its Comdata business is a provider of transaction processing and information services to the transportation and other industries, and its media services business, Arbitron, is a research company serving the media industry.

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