The NPR API: powering "radio" in a multiplatform world
Michael Yoch Director, Product Development, NPR [email protected] @mjyoch
• NPR = National Public Radio
• 2nd largest radio group in America
• Combination of public and private funding
• 268 independent NPR member organizations
• 764 stations • NPR programming available on 146 other stations • Total: 910 stations, 92% US population #Broadcast audience: ~ 35 million weekly listeners
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Who is NPR?
NPR is both a producer and distributor
NPR makes: • Radio programming
• Digital-only content: articles, blogs, audio, video, slideshows
• Live events
NPR distributes: • Radio programming from NPR stations and
independent producers
• Digital-only content from NPR stations
• Live events from stations
1. Ubiquitous broadband 2. Proliferation of internet connected devices (capable of audio) Major disruption / shift radio usage patterns
Big changes are coming
Europe = top mobile broadband penetration
Internet radio is everywhere
Source: Triton Digital, 4/28/2011 | http://bit.ly/jc6JA0
Pandora: ~60% of internet streaming
Source: Target Spot, 2011 | http://bit.ly/kJMSA1
Usage patterns
Mobile audience connects with the brand
Percentage of the digital audience that also listens to NPR on the radio:
• Android app 83%
• iPhone app 81%
• Mobile Web 79%
• iPad app 65%
• NPR.org 22%
By 2020: • 22 billion internet connected devices
• 6 billion mobile phones
• 2.5 billion televisions
• 1.1 billion cars
The Internet of Things
Source: Read Write Web, August, 2010 | http://rww.to/d51hno
API = application programming interface Simple definition: An easy system / interface for retrieving data from an organized container.
What is an API?
flexible content + technology(API) + product strategy
=
broad footprint
API allows nimble development
COPE (create once publish everywhere) • COPE drives all other architectural decisions Build content management tools, not web publishing tools: • Separate data/content from display/presentation • Make sure all content is modular and portable
(flexible) Pick a smart building block: • Story is the Atom for NPR • Stories contain assets (text, audio, video, images) • Stories belong to lists • Break things down to the smallest possible parts
API guiding principles
Content flow through the system
CMS API Presentation Layers
Content (flexible): • audio
o streams o on demand
• text • photo galleries • video • rights / permissions • metadata (about stations, streams, audio, etc.) !from NPR, stations, other public media sources
What goes into the API?
“From Washington DC! this is NPR”
Oops!
Flexible content: audio
Flexible content: images
Flexible content: images
From many sources to many destinations
Who benefits from the API?
NPR • It powers everything we publish • Easier development • NPR audience benefits
Stations • NPR content on station sites • Stations better serve their audiences
Partners • Creates new opportunities (easy / low cost
implementation) • Easier to build on existing relationships
Public • Engages the community
• NPR.org • 2 iPhone apps • 1 iPad app • 1 Android app • mobile web site • newsletters • Chrome web app • Sony connected TV widget • Google TV (coming) • RSS • NPR station sites and mobile products • A variety of open source / public development projects
The API makes possible!.
Lifecycle of an NPR story
Lifecycle of an NPR story
Lifecycle of an NPR story
Lifecycle: NPR Music iPhone app
NPR Music iPhone app story page
NPR News for iPhone music category
Lifecycle of an NPR story
API is an investment that pays off (PVs)
Elections spike
1-year anniversary of API
API growth
Listening (million hours / month)
2.75 3
2
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011
Digital vs. broadcast audience
iPad app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011
iPhone news app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011
iPhone music app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011
What does “radio” look like in the future?
"In the multi-device, multi-connection world,
product strategists need more than a good
product with a connection to win customer loyalty
-- they need to create a digital customer
relationship and deliver that in a continuously
connected experience across many devices."
Source: Thomas Husson, Forrester Mobile Analyst, April 2011 | http://bit.ly/l6oEY0
Tablet effect on other device usage
Ask users
Ask users
Ask users
Use cases
Design for patterns, not platforms
Connected cars
Live streaming to mobile
Live streaming to mobile
Infinite personalized radio?
Danke! Michael Yoch [email protected] @mjyoch NPR: http://www.npr.org NPR Music: http://www.npr.org/music NPR Berlin: http://www.nprberlin.de/ NPR API: http://www.npr.org/api