Edison Research

Edison Research is an American market research company specializing in audience measurement, opinion polling, and media analytics. Founded in 1994, the firm conducts quantitative and qualitative studies for broadcasters, digital platforms, advertisers, and political organizations. Edison Research is known for long-running collaborations and for producing directional metrics on radio, podcasting, and election night vote reporting.

History

Founded in 1994 by Tom Webster, the company emerged during a period of consolidation in the Nielsen Corporation-dominated audience measurement industry and amid the rise of digital audio exemplified by RealNetworks and early Internet radio. Early projects included audience research for public broadcasters such as National Public Radio and format studies for legacy companies like Clear Channel Communications and CBS Corporation. The firm expanded through the 2000s with clients from Microsoft-affiliated platforms to independent podcast networks during the podcasting renaissance associated with shows like Serial (podcast). Strategic alliances and contract awards in the 2010s positioned the company as a primary provider of in-market listening data parallel to services offered by Arbitron and later Nielsen Audio. High-profile election polling partnerships connected the firm to networks such as ABC News, NBC News, and The Associated Press.

Services and Research Methods

Edison Research offers services including audience measurement, custom polling, qualitative focus groups, and advisory analytics. Their methods combine telephone interviewing using samples from providers like Sykes Enterprises and online panels reminiscent of platforms used by YouGov and Ipsos. For audio and podcast measurement they deploy diary studies and passive metering similar in aim to techniques developed by RADIOLOGY-era measurement vendors and matched with digital ad server logs used by Google Ad Manager and Spotify. Election-related exit polls and voter studies use stratified sampling frameworks akin to methodologies from Pew Research Center and Gallup, with weighting protocols guided by census benchmarks from the United States Census Bureau. Qualitative offerings include moderated focus groups and ethnographic interviews modeled on practices common at IDEO and academic centers like the Annenberg School for Communication.

Major Projects and Clients

The firm has produced syndicated products and bespoke studies for broadcasters, election organizations, and digital platforms. Long-term engagements include national broadcast collaborations with NPR, electoral reporting partnerships with The Associated Press and national television networks such as ABC News and NBC News, and podcast audience measurement used by Spotify, Apple Inc., and commercial radio groups including iHeartMedia. In commercial research, clients span advertisers and agencies like WPP and Omnicom Group, technology companies including Google and Amazon (company), and foundations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts. The company also provided polling and analytics for political campaigns linked to state party organizations and for civic groups associated with Brennan Center for Justice-style election integrity initiatives.

Key Findings and Impact

Studies produced by the company have documented shifts in audio consumption from terrestrial broadcasting toward on-demand podcasting, often cited alongside industry reports from Nielsen Audio and metrics released by Interactive Advertising Bureau. Polling outputs have contributed to media coverage of presidential and midterm elections alongside analysis from The New York Times and The Washington Post. Research on podcast audiences informed advertising rate-setting practices used by agencies at GroupM and advanced understanding of audience demographics that influenced programing decisions at networks like SiriusXM and PRX. The company’s exit poll work has been used to illuminate voting behavior and turnout patterns, complementing scholarly analyses from institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford University.

Corporate Structure and Leadership

The organization operates as a private company with leadership historically linked to its founder and subsequent executives drawn from the market research and media sectors. Senior staff have included executives with backgrounds at research firms like Gallup and media companies such as CBS Corporation and Clear Channel Communications. Governance practices align with private research firms that serve both commercial and public-sector clients, and the company maintains research teams specializing in sampling, questionnaire design, data science, and audio measurement parallel to units found in firms such as Ipsos and Kantar.

Category:Market research companies Category:Polling organizations in the United States