Mobile radio listening climbs 25%, says CRA

The number of people in Australia’s five metro markets using a mobile device to listen to live and local radio has climbed by 25%, Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has said.

The figures for the December quarter reveal nearly 2.5 million people, or 17% of the relevant population, listened via their phones at some point each week, up 25% on the same period one year ago.

People using their PCs and tablets was also up 27% to 1.2 million, and smart speakers surged 58% to 1.04 million.

The research found that while broadcast radio continued to be the most common way to access radio, with 83% of people tuning in via AM/FM and 27% via DAB+ digital radio, mobile phones are the third most popular device with which to access the medium.

CRA CEO Joan Warner said it’s a good news story.

“The data is good news for the industry as it means more Australians are discovering that they can enjoy radio at any time of the day wherever they are across a range of devices and platforms from traditional broadcast to radio apps on smart phones,” she said.

“Broadcast radio remains the core and most important platform for the foreseeable future, but we are seeing some exciting growth in digital and streaming audiences as a result of investments and partnerships in these areas to make radio even more accessible across multiple devices.”

The data was derived from an average of the last three GfK radio audience measurement surveys conducted in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

In 2020, numerous radio surveys were called off due to COVID-19, however the ratings returned for surveys 6, 7 and 8.