System and method for providing measurement of tracking events with radio broadcast materials via the internet

A method of measuring a broadcast material audience, comprising:

• transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;
• receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;
• receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;
• transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;
• receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player
• storing said at least one tracking event in a database;
• and
• providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.

A computer program product for use with a computer system, said computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing the computer system collect listenership information, said computer readable program code means comprising:
• computer readable program code means for transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;
• computer readable program code means for receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;
• computer readable program code means for receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;
• computer readable program code means for transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;
• computer readable program code means for receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player;
• computer readable program code means for storing said at least one tracking event in a database;
• and
• computer readable program code means for providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.

A program storage device, readable by one or more machines, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machines to perform method steps for audience measurement of broadcast materials, said method steps comprising the steps of:

• transmitting to an Internet broadcasting system, from a radio station system, broadcast materials divided into a plurality of program segments, the program segments being accompanied by program data, the program data comprising a code identifying the accompanied segment;
• receiving the program segments and program data at the Internet broadcasting system and broadcasting the received broadcast materials and program data to a plurality of media players over the Internet;
• receiving at a media player the broadcast material and program data from said Internet broadcast system;
• transmitting at least one tracking event for the media player based on the program data and providing an indication based on the program data to the radio broadcast system of the media players receiving the broadcast materials at a period of time;
• receiving said at least one tracking event for the media player;
• storing said at least one tracking event in a database;
• and
• providing to a broadcaster the indication based on the program data that said user is receiving said broadcast material from said radio station system.