Radio Bite: Audio Everywhere

Radio is a powerful and often underused platform for advertisers. During these unprecedented times, our Radio Bites series will give compelling reasons for brands to continue to be heard on the airwaves and why consumers will be listening.

The IPA have released their Audio Everywhere presentation to TouchPoints subscribers, based on IPA TouchPoints 2019 dataset. Originally set to be presented to celebrate 2020 Audio Week, they wanted TouchPoints subscribers to have the content regardless.

Looking into the important role audio plays in people’s lives and how it fits into the media day, TouchPoints provides an unbiased and consistent view of how our media consumption is changing over time. The presentation explains how the world around us is changing and how digital media use is rising. Interestingly time spent with commercial radio has remained consistent over the last four years as social media and, to a lesser degree, streamed music services have grown.

Chart 1: share of commercial media time by medium 2019 vs. 2016

Source IPA Touchpoints 2019

The presentation also highlights how audio performs as a mass medium across all age groups with 91% of adults listening to some form of audio each week. In particular, radio/Audio dominates media consumption across the morning accounting for the highest share of media time between 06.00 to midday. If advertisers need to speak to audiences before noon, then audio should be a prime consideration.

Chart 2: share of media time by medium by morning time segment

The presentation also highlights the uses of different devices for listening to audio. At a headline level the radio set is still the most-listened to device but the number of devices that are used to listen to audio is growing, Live radio remains the dominant format on many of these devices, including voice activated devices.

Chart 3: share of audio listening by device

You can find out more information on voice activated devices and radio listening, and how brands might adapt to an increasingly voice-activated future here. 

There are many roles that radio plays in people’s lives with 37% relying on the radio for news updates, 39% listening as an essential part of a daily routine and 36% listen to the radio to hear their favourite presenters. Radiocentre recently published Staying Connected During the COVID-19 Crisis exploring how listening has changed in the short-term during the coronavirus, specifically for those ‘newly working from home’ who demonstrated the biggest change in radio listening habits, with 45% of this group listening to more radio now, on average for an additional two hours each day.

Radio has become an increasingly important part of people’s lives during lockdown with many stuck inside. In our survey, 90% percent of respondents agreed that commercial radio kept them in touch with the outside world, while a similar number agreed it kept them informed (89%). A further 84% – possibly missing regular social activities – said that radio keeps them company.