Online Weather Information Source Market Assessment Study

1. Online Weather Information Source Market Assessment Study February 13, 2008

2. Table of Contents Accessing Weather Information Awareness Usage Attribute Importance and Performance Summary and Recommendations Demographics

3. Accessing Weather Information

4. Accessing Weather Information – Source • In order to participate in this study, all respondents must have indicated that they access weather information via the Internet. Roughly 75% of potential respondents satisfied this criterion. • Respondents seek weather information from a variety of media other than the Internet, predominantly local TV stations (74% of respondents). n=516

5. Accessing Weather Information – Location • The vast majority of respondents (92%) access the Internet from home when gathering weather information, and roughly one-third of respondents (29%) access the Internet from work when doing so. • Almost all respondents have either cable or DSL Internet access at home. • There were no consistent demographic differences in this data. Locations Internet Accessed Type of Internet Service at Home n=516 n=516

6. Accessing Weather Information – Frequency • In order to participate in this study, all respondents must have accessed weather information via the Internet at least once in the seven days prior to taking the survey. • A majority of respondents (57%) had accessed weather information via the Internet one to five times in the previous seven days. n=516

7. Heavy Users versus Light Users • For the purposes of analysis, respondents who had accessed online weather information 1–5 times in the previous week are considered “light users” and those who had accessed online weather information more than 5 times are considered “heavy users.” • Younger respondents and female respondents were more likely to be light users. • There were no other key demographic differences between light users and heavy users.

8. Awareness

9. Unaided Awareness • Unaided awareness of The Weather Channel was significantly higher among respondents ages 18–24 (87%), and it decreased as age increased, dropping to 36% among those 65 and older. • Unaided awareness of local TV Web sites was significantly higher among respondents ages 45–54 (64%) than among most other age groups. n=516

10. Total Awareness • Heavy users were significantly more likely than light users to be aware of WeatherBug, AccuWeather, NBC Weather Plus, Intellicast, and Weather Underground. • Awareness of Google was significantly higher among respondents ages 18–24 (76%) than most other age groups. • Awareness of NOAA was significantly higher among respondents ages 55–64 (47%) than most other age groups. n=516

11. Usage

12. Overall Usage • As might be expected, The Weather Channel led all Web sites in terms of overall usage, as 67% of respondents had previously used this site. • Consistent with awareness data, heavy users were significantly more likely than light users to have used WeatherBug, AccuWeather, NOAA, NBC Weather Plus, Weather Underground, and Intellicast. • Respondents 18–24 were significantly more likely than most other age groups to have used Google (40%). n=516

13. Primary Usage • Just over three-quarters of respondents (77%) indicated that they have one or two online weather information sources that they prefer to all others; the remaining 23% said that all weather sites are basically the same to them. • Among respondents who use more than one source, 32% use The Weather Channel most frequently. • Rates of primary usage for The Weather Channel tended to be higher among younger respondents (43% among ages 18–34), and rates of primary usage for local TV Web sites tended to be higher among older respondents (18% among ages 55 and older). n=397

14. Primary Usage – Heavy Users versus Light Users • Light users were significantly more likely to use The Weather Channel and local TV Web sites as their primary source of online weather information, while heavy users were significantly more likely to use WeatherBug as their primary source.

15. Reasons for Using Primary Source • Overall, respondents cited many different reasons for using a particular online weather information source more than others. n=504

16. Reasons for Using Primary Source • Classified into two broader categories of 1) attributes related to brand or URL (such as an easy to remember Web site) and 2) attributes related to site features (such as radar, maps, and graphics), this data suggests that brand/URL is a more important driver of using a particular online weather information source. • Brand/URL-related attributes were cited by 57% of respondents as reasons for using their primary online weather information source; feature-related attributes were cited by only 35% of respondents. n=504

17. Reasons for Using Primary Source • The Web sites used most often are differentiated in terms of why respondents use them more often than other sources of online weather information. • Frequent users of MSN and Yahoo use these sites more often than others because they are set as a homepage or e-mail page. • As might be expected, frequent users of local TV and other news sites most commonly cite local weather information as the reason for using those sites more than others. • Users of WeatherBug note its presence on their desktop as the primary reason for using it more than other sources.

18. Usage Characteristics • Respondents most commonly access online weather information sources for severe weather or storm information (77%), planning appropriate attire for the weather conditions (61%), and driving or traffic information (47%). • Heavy users generally mentioned more reasons for accessing information than light users and were more likely to cite many of the reasons listed below, including severe weather or storm information, planning appropriate attire, and enjoying following the weather. n=516

19. Usage Characteristics • Respondents did not appear to be significantly engaged with the online weather information sources that they use; overall, only 19% currently have a no-fee subscription and less than 5% pay a subscription fee or have contributed content. • Primary users of WeatherBug were by far the most likely group to indicate that they currently have a no-fee subscription, as 54% did so. • Heavy users were significantly more likely than light users to have a current no-fee subscription (29% compared to 11%) and to pay a fee to access enhanced services (6% compared to 1%).

20. Attribute Importance and Performance

21. Attribute Importance • Overall, respondents rated Trustworthy, Provides accurate forecasts, Is easy to use, and Understands weather where I live as the most important characteristics when selecting an online weather information source. • Heavy users tended to give higher ratings of importance on most attributes and had a significantly higher mean rating for Relevant to my lifestyle, Interactive maps and radar, Educational weather content, and Environmental and climate content. • Is easy to use, Understands weather where I live, Relevant to my lifestyle, and URL/address that is easy to remember were significantly more important to females. n=516 Not at all important (1) Extremely important (10)

22. Attribute Importance • Responses to an open-ended question inquiring about the most important factor in deciding which online weather information source to use are consistent with the attributes that were identified in the ratings questions as being the most important: accuracy, ease of use, and local weather information were among the most important factors. • There were no significant differences between heavy users and light users. n=516

23. Differences in Attribute Importance • Is easy to use was more important to primary users of Google than to primary users of other sites. • Alerts me of severe weather was relatively more important to primary users of WeatherBug and AccuWeather. • Interactive maps and radar was relatively more important to primary users of AccuWeather and NOAA. • URL/address that is easy to remember was relatively more important to primary users of Google and The Weather Channel. • Fun and interesting was relatively more important to primary users of AccuWeather. • Weather photo sharing was relatively more important to primary users of AccuWeather. • Weather blogs and forums was relatively more important to primary users of AccuWeather, WeatherBug, and Yahoo.

24. Attribute Performance • Overall, The Weather Channel was the top Web site in terms of attribute performance. It received the best or second-best rating on 8 of the 15 attributes and on 3 of the 4 most important attributes. • Also performing well on the most important attributes were local TV Web sites, which received the best or second-best rating on all of the five most important attributes. • AccuWeather and other local news sites were the top performers on many of the attributes less important to respondents, generally ones related to enhanced content or functional capabilities. • The lowest-performing sites overall were WeatherBug, NOAA, and Intellicast.

25. Attribute Performance Matrix – Total Sample • The table below displays the relative performance of each competitor on each attribute, ranked from 1 to 10, for the total sample. • The attributes are listed in descending order from most important to least important. • The competitors are listed left to right from best overall performance to worst overall performance across all attributes (based on a composite score weighted to account for the relative importance of each attribute). • The best and worst scores for each attribute are highlighted in green and pink, respectively.

26. Attribute Performance Matrix – Heavy Users • The table below displays the relative performance of each competitor on each attribute as rated by heavy users only. • Although it was the seventh-best performer overall, Weather Underground was the second-best performer among heavy users. • NBC Weather Plus also performed well, ranking third overall just ahead of local TV Web sites.

27. Attribute Performance Matrix – Light Users • The table below displays the relative performance of each competitor on each attribute as rated by light users only. • Other local news sites and local TV Web sites outperformed The Weather Channel among light users, taking the top two spots. • Whereas Weather Underground was the second-best performer among heavy users, it was the worst performer among light users.

28. Unmet Needs • The four attributes most important to respondents, Trustworthy, Provides accurate forecasts, Is easy to use, and Understands weather where I live, are also the four attributes that represent the biggest unmet needs in the market. • Respondents’ ratings suggest that currently only local TV Web sites and other local news sites are meeting consumers’ needs with regard to understanding local weather. • None of the competitors presented in this study appear to be satisfying consumers’ needs in terms of the three most important attributes (Trustworthy, Provides accurate forecasts, and Is easy to use). The Weather Channel and local TV Web sites come the closest, as they are the top two rated competitors on all three measures.

29. Needs Matrix • The table below displays the performance of each competitor on each attribute in terms of the expressed needs of the marketplace (for the total sample). • Unmet needs are highlighted in pink; these exist when satisfaction with the attribute performance for a given competitor falls short of the attribute’s importance. • “Saturated” needs are highlighted in green; these exist when satisfaction with the attribute performance for a given competitor far exceeds the attribute’s importance.

30. Opportunities for Improvement • Fifty-five percent of respondents did not have any suggestions as to what online weather information providers could improve upon. Accuracy/reliability was the most frequently cited opportunity for improvement, mentioned by 15% of respondents. This result echoes the finding that Trustworthy and Provides accurate forecasts are among the biggest unmet needs in the market. n=516

31. Web Site Name Candidates

32. Favorite Names • MyWeather.com was the most popular name for a potential new weather Web site; 53% of respondents chose it as their favorite name and 91% selected it as one of their top three choices. • AllWeather.com was also a popular name; 29% of respondents chose it as their favorite name and 88% selected it as one of their top three choices. • There was relatively minimal interest in all the rest of the potential names evaluated. n=516

33. Suggested Names • When asked to choose the ideal name for a brand new weather Web site, 26% of respondents suggested names that are already used by existing weather Web sites. These included: • Weather.com (almost 50 mentions) • WeatherNow.com (27) (redirects to Weathernews) • WeatherorNot.com (8) • RainorShine.com (7) (redirects to AccuWeather) • LocalWeather.com (5) • WeatherMan.com (4) • WeatherWatch.com (3) • Twenty-five percent of respondents did not offer any names for a new site, and 5% suggested names that are already used by existing Web sites that are not directly related to weather.

34. Suggested Names • Among the 41% of respondents who suggested names that do not currently appear to be in use, the most frequently mentioned names were: • MyWeather.com (14 mentions) • YourWeather.com (14) (possibly in development) • AccurateWeather.com (5) • WeatherAlert.com (5) • WeatherWatcher.com (5) • AllWeather.com (4) • WeatherInfo.com (4) • CurrentWeather.com (3) • InstantWeather.com (3) • Outside.com (3) • RealWeather.com (3) • TodaysWeather.com (3) • WhatstheWeather.com (3)

35. Suggested Names • Other suggested names that do not currently appear to be in use include: • EasyWeather.com (2 mentions) • HowIstheWeather.com (2) • TheWeatherWebsite.com (2) • UptoDateWeather.com (2) • WeatherFirst.com (2) • WeatherForecast.com (2) • WeatherRadar.com (2) • WeatherUpdate (2) • WeatherUpdates.com (2) • WeatherWhereYouLive.com (2) • WeatherWise.com (2) • WeatherWorld.com (2) • WorldWideWeather.com (2) • YourLocalWeather.com (2) • AllAccessWeather.com • AllThingsWeather.com • DailyWeather.com • DailyWeatherWatch.com • DaytoDayWeather.com • EyeonWeather.com • FastWeather.com • FirstWeather.com • Forecaster.com • JustWeather.com • LiveWeather.com • MostAccurateWeather.com • MyLocalWeather.com • NewWeather.com • PersonalWeather.com • PinpointWeather.com • SpecificWeather.com • SportsWeather.com • Weather247.com • Weather4U.com • WeatherandYou.com • WeatherBeat.com • WeatherChecker.com • WeatherExpert.com • WeatherFacts.com • WeatherforAll.com • WeatherGlobe.com • WeatherMania.com • WeatherMate.com • WeatherMatters.com • WeatherMax.com • WeatherMe.com • WeatherMyWay.com • WeatheroftheDay.com • Weather-Only.com • WeatherontheGo.com • WeatherOutside.com • WeatherPlans.com • WeatherReady.com • WeatherSpot.com • WeatherTrack.com • WeatherWeb.com • WeatherWhereYouAre.com • WeatherZone.com • WeeklyWeather.com • YourForecast.com • YourWeatherNow.com

36. Summary and Recommendations

37. Summary and Recommendations • The Weather Channel is the clear overall market leader in terms of awareness, usage, and performance. • Local TV Web sites were also strong in terms of usage and performance, especially among light users. • Yahoo and MSN were among the leaders in terms of awareness and usage, likely driven by their position as a homepage or e-mail page; their performance was not assessed in this study. • WeatherBug was highly rated in terms of awareness and usage, especially among heavy users, but it was one of the worst performers among both light and heavy users.

38. Summary and Recommendations • Web sites are chosen by users for a wide variety of reasons, but the data indicates that brand-related attributes are more important than feature-related attributes in a user’s determination of their primary source of online weather information. Performance on Feature-Related Attributes Performance on Brand-Related Attributes

39. Map of Competitors – Heavy Users Performance on Feature-Related Attributes Performance on Brand-Related Attributes

40. Map of Competitors – Light Users Performance on Feature-Related Attributes Performance on Brand-Related Attributes

41. Summary and Recommendations • To establish itself in the market, it is important for a new weather Web site to develop a brand identity that resonates with the attributes that are most important to respondents: accurate, trustworthy, easy to use, and localized. These are also currently the biggest unmet needs in the market. • MyWeather should attempt to differentiate itself in the market by creating a strong, unique brand that is supported by its superior forecasting technologies and an easy-to-use interface for personalized weather information. • MyWeather should consider the development of enhanced content and capabilities (such as photo sharing and blogs/forums) a secondary priority. These features are not viewed as particularly important, and needs for them are being met by existing sites.

42. Summary and Recommendations • The most vulnerable existing Web sites appear to be Intellicast, WeatherBug, and NOAA—all of which performed poorly among both heavy and light users. • Heavy users were significantly more likely to have used these sites. • Weather Underground may also be vulnerable among light users, but it performed well among heavy users.

43. Summary and Recommendations • If MyWeather hopes to charge a fee for a direct-to-consumer Web site, it may be beneficial to first target heavy users, 6% of whom pay a fee to access enhanced services. (Older consumers and male consumers are more likely to be heavy users.) • MyWeather.com is a good choice for a name for a new direct-to-consumer weather Web site. • It is short and easy to remember, and it would convey the personalized aspect of a potential brand. • It was by far respondents’ favorite name for a new weather Web site. • Additionally, the data suggests that Weather Channel’s easy-to-remember URL is a contributing factor to their success.

44. Demographics

45. Demographics • Seventy-nine percent of respondents 18–24 were female, while only 53% of respondents 55 or older were female. Gender Age

46. Demographics Region Area Population

47. Demographics Annual Household Income Education Level

48. LIN TelevisionOnline Weather Recommendation

49. Lin Markets Page Views Assumes $2.00 cpm – 2 ads/PV

50. How can local media capitalize on the consumption shift of online weather? Trend Television-exclusive Everyday users • Loyal viewer of nightly news broadcast • Use Weather.com, CNN.com Google, and Yahoo for news & weather • Has favorite list of sites they frequent To compete online, LIN needs to cast a wider net! Internet-exclusive