Internet

摘要

Pandora's 40-hour monthly cap on free mobile listening has received mixed reviews from its heaviestnusers, Chief Financial Officer Michael Herring told us at the Piper Jaffray investor conference in NewnYork. About 4 percent of Pandora’s 67 million registered users listen more than 40 hours each month,nwith the average being 20 hours, the company said. "We have had many users who understood why wenwere doing it, Herring said. "And we had those that were very much opposed to it, but it is a handful."nPandora imposed a similar limit on desktop PC service use in 2009 and added one for mobile as itnachieved an audience size that is "meaningful" to national advertisers, the company has said. The limitnalso gives consumers a "great set of choices," requiring them to pay 99 cents to continue listening to thenservice with ads or upgrade to the subscription-based Pandora One, which carries a $36 annual fee, CEOnJoseph Kennedy has said. Pandora’s Q4 total listening hours leaped to 4 billion from 2.6 billion a yearnearlier and its share of the U.S. radio market improved to 8.03 percent as of Jan. 31 from 5.5 percent anyear earlier, it has said. Listening on mobile and other connected devices represented 79 percent of listeningnhours in Q4, but total advertising revenue per 1,000 ad-supported listening hours, which includes thenInternet, declined to $52.82 from $56.22. Pandora’s Q4 revenue rose 54 percent to $125.1 million withnadvertising sales rising 51 percent to $109 million. Pandora’s subscription revenue grew 74 percent ton$16.1 million. In expanding its business, Pandora is available through 760 CE devices and 85 vehiclenmodels. Meanwhile, Pandora is slowing building a comedy service, having established ties with 1,500ncomedians so far, Herring said. "It’s fast growing, but we are focusing on the comedians themselves rightnnow, trying to learn a little bit from the wrong foot we got off with musicians initially," Herring said. Comediansnare in Pandora offices "all the time" recording shows, he said. In building its ad business, Pandoranhas established local sales groups, each with one to six reps, in 27 U.S. markets.