Radio Isn't Dead
by Anna Fleck,
Aug 20, 2024
Radio appears to have done a better job than TV at holding its own in the face of subscription services - at least, for now. Data from the IFPI Engaging With Music 2023 report shows that the medium remains popular around the world across all surveyed age groups. While the youngest age category of 16-24 year olds had the lowest share of respondents saying that they had a strong engagement with radio in 2023, the figure was still 59 percent. This rises with age, reaching 78 percent of respondents saying the same in the 55-64 year old category.
This popularity is largely driven by a love of music. Of the 43,000 internet users interviewed across 26 countries, 63 percent said that without music, they would not listen to the radio. 85 percent of radio listeners said that if that were the case, they would then seek music elsewhere, most often through subscription streaming services.
A key reason for radio maintaining its pull where TV has not is the saving grace of the daily commute. According to the IFPI, 65 percent of all radio listening time is thought to take place via car radios or standalone radios, while 17 percent is on a phone or computer, 9 percent a smartspeaker and 8 percent another way.
Looking to the future, while radio remains highly popular, it appears that in the United States at least, streaming audio will likely continue to grow at the expense of broadcast radio. Data from Edison Research shows that mobile listening has surpassed ‘radio set’ listening in every location except the car, but that even there listening on the phone is starting to eat into radio listening time.
You will find more infographics at Statistaby Anna Fleck,
Aug 20, 2024
IFPI's landmark Engaging with Music 2023 report provides insight to the music industry from the perspective of fans, with survey data of over 43,000 internet users across 26 countries. It found that on average, respondents listened to 20.7 hours of music each week, up from 20.1 hours per week in 2022. IFPI also reveals that on average, people listen to eight or more different genres and use seven or more different methods to engage with music.
As the following chart shows, audio streaming now makes up the biggest share in terms of methods used for listenership. Just under a third (32 percent) of all the hours that people spent engaging with music in 2023 was under the umbrella term of audio streaming, including subscription and free tiers such as Spotify, Apple Music and Melon. The second most popular method was video streaming (31 percent), which includes long-form and short-form videos found on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, while the third most popular was music on the radio (17 percent), including live broadcasts, catch up and internet radio stations.
You will find more infographics at Statistaby Anna Fleck,
Aug 20, 2024
To mark National Radio Day, the following chart looks at data from Statista’s Consumer Insights macro survey on where radio lovers reside. Of the selected countries, it was most common in Austria and Germany for people to say they listened to the radio for at least for 11 hours per week, at around 17 and 16 percent, respectively. This is considerably more than countries such as Mexico and South Korea, where less than five percent of respondents considered themselves to be heavy listeners.
National Radio Day 2024 is observed on August 20.
You will find more infographics at Statista