NEW YORK In a breakthrough for streaming radio, advertisers will for the first time be able to take advantage of "live reads" inserted into the online and mobile streams of radio stations' broadcasts.
Beginning in May, CBS Radio and its partners AOL Radio and Yahoo will begin airing live audio commercials on more than 500 streaming radio stations.
The live online commercials will be sold and voiced separately from CBS Radio stations' over-the-air presentations.
Live reads are the most successful form of radio advertising with recall-and-response rates higher than recorded commercials. Offering the commercial format to advertisers in digital online and mobile streams could help boost what is already a growing revenue stream for radio stations.
"Our local personalities have brought to life many an advertiser's product in a way that no other medium can replicate, seamlessly integrating commercials into programming in a way that feels natural and unobtrusive. That same spontaneous quality that works so well on-air can just as easily translate online with the same if not better results for our clients," said David Goodman, president of digital media and integrated marketing for CBS Radio.
