Broadcast Radio Content and Podcast Strength Revealed in New Reports

The survey of US adults 18 who listen to audio in their cars showed that seven in 10 respondents tune into AMFM radio while driving And onethird of connectedcar drivers listen to podcasts A quotconnectedcar driverquot refers to consumers who can access online audio content via hardwire Bluetooth or WiFi in vehiclesOverall Americans are listening to more audio than ever On average they consume almost four hours of audio content per day including AMFM radio digital streaming and podcasts according to Edison Research39s Share of Ear study What39s more Nielsen reports that 70 of listening occurs outofhomeamp160presumably much of that time is in the carMore Choice More ListeningquotConsumers have more choices than they39ve ever had before and that39s leading people to discover more content and engage with topics more deeplyquot said Tim Murphy Executive Vice President Strategy and Corporate Business Development at Audacy which operates AMFM stations digital streaming content and podcastsSmartphones are a key impetus for the increased listening The Audacy survey reported that 73 of connectedcar respondents said a smartphone connection is one way they listen to audio in the car whether it be via cable Bluetooth or incar WiFiAnother study from Edison Research adds further insights Commissioned by the World DAB National Association of Broadcasters NAB and other organizations the study found that AMFM radio was the No 1 audio source among US drivers and the top audio feature that drivers wanted in their vehicles More than half of respondents said they listen to radio most frequently in their cars 53 followed by at home 26 and while working 8Drivers are loyal fans of AMFM radio 89 of the respondents in Edison39s World DAB and NAB study said they39d miss AMFM radio if it wasn39t there and 89 said broadcast radio should be standard in all cars Remember the consumer backlash when Tesla removed AMFM radio from some vehiclesNearly nine in 10 respondents said they value AMFM radio because it is free and simple to access With many consumers now subscribing to four multiple audio and video streaming services quotthe cost of content is becoming a real issuequot Murphy said quotPeople are starting to get overwhelmed by the aggregate costs of subscribing to all of these different platformsquotAlso streaming in car via a smartphone can drain a user39s mobile data plan adding additional expense Murphy addedLocal and Spoken Word Are KingDrivers love their spoken word content particularly news sports podcasts and anything local Research from Nielsen39s Scarborough unit shows that the news talk and information genre is the top AMFM content type for incar listeners Sports is another popular choice Compared to typical US adults incar listeners are 53 more likely to listen to a news or talk personalityamp16041 more likely to tune into sportsamp160and 23 more likely to dial into newsThere39s a reason for that quotAudio is one of the few remaining sources of truly local contentquot Murphy noted quotThere39s an undeniable human need for connecting with your community and radio content especially around local news and sports uniquely serves that needquotThe InCar Listening ReboundWhen the pandemic upended many Americans39 daily routines initially incar listening declined By June 2020 most markets recovered to typical routines with spikes in traditional drive times which was welcomed by radio broadcasters The pandemic also ushered in some new audio listening opportunities via smartphonesEven as habits and routines shifted quotIt was very interesting to see that incar listening maintained itself and people added to it by seamlessly transitioning listening from home to street to carquot noted Idil Cakim Audacy39s Senior Vice President of Research and InsightsSmart speakers have helped make that audio journey possible In fact nearly 100 million American households now own at least one device Edison estimates quotAll of a sudden we have tens of millions of new hardware devices in homes and offices that can connect people to our contentquot Murphy explainedamp160As users have learned there are multiple ways to get their content via voice smart phone and apps they39re tuning in more frequently he added That opens up new opportunities for content publishers like Audacy and their advertising partnersquotWe saw a lot of pick up in streaming listening via smart speakers of voice platforms and heavier listening and day parts that were not as commute focusedquot Murphy notedAs users tune in at home on mobile and incar they39re extending their listening across locations Audacy39s survey shows that 62 of respondents who start listening to AMFM radio in a physical location transfer their listening to the car And 50 said if they are listening to a podcast before they get in the car they continue to listen when they get in their vehiclequotIt is interesting to think about the audio journey holisticallyquot Cakim said quotLook at how listeners are carrying their choices into the carquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Broadcast Radio Content and Podcast Strength Revealed in New Reports

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Alli Romano

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