• by Erik Sass , April 7, 2011

Internet radio is growing by leaps and bounds, and so are efforts to measure those leaps and bounds more precisely. This week brought news that Triton Digital Media's Streaming Division has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council for its Webcast Metrics service, which measures online digital streaming audio tune-in in real time.

Triton, which syndicates digital radio content and places digital audio advertising, added measurement capabilities to its suite of services with the acquisition of Ando Media Group in September 2009. The MRC granted accreditation after an independent CPA firm audited various aspects of the Webcast Metrics service, including methodology, presentation dashboard and reports, which were then also reviewed by the MRC audit committee.

MRC Executive Director and CEO George Ivie praised Triton for its "commitment to quality, as evidenced by its commitment to the MRC accreditation process," as well as its "leadership role in the streaming audio measurement space."

Looking ahead, former Ando Media Group senior vice president Rob Favre will assume the new role of chief compliance officer and general manager of data and analytics for Triton Digital, with responsibility for overseeing standards necessary to maintain MRC accreditation.

At the time when Ando was acquired by Triton in 2009, the companies claimed it was already handling measurement of Internet radio for over 6,500 clients through Webcast Metrics, using a combination of server- and client-side data, with additional capabilities like impression reporting for royalty purposes.

The company also provided services like inserting audio, video and display ads in both streaming media and downloaded content like podcasts, making it a distribution platform as well as a measurement specialist; all these functions were also absorbed into Triton Digital Media's Streaming Division.