Christopher Hughes
Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand
Radio in Australia - statistics & facts
Despite the global shift towards online media, there still seems to be a place in the hearts of audiences worldwide for traditional media, with television, cinema, and radio enjoying consistent audiences. Two key examples from North America include digital radio service SiriusXM and iHeartRadio, both of which have a regular, consistent online audience.
In the Asia-Pacific region, just over 70 percent of South Korean households had a radio, with most listening to their radio set for between 30 minutes and one hour every day. Elsewhere, around half of South Koreans listened to online radio services, suggesting that what was once considered a somewhat extinct medium is instead undergoing a digital renaissance.
When it came to reasons for audience members to listen to the radio, the three most popular reasons given by respondents were for local news and information, to hear music that wasn’t available on other stations, and that they play Australian music and support local artists.
Moreover, Australians seem to be favoring mobile devices to access online news. The share that chose to use a mobile has been hovering at around the 60 percent figure in recent years, whereas PC use for news access has declined slowly and steadily.
The Australian relationship with radio
In Australia, the industry outlook is similar. Using the results of a recent survey, it was estimated that around half of the country’s population, 16 million people, listen to radio. The same survey also estimated that 3.2 million listeners tune in during breakfast hours between 5am and 9am, with the next highest listenership of around three million listeners happening during the drivetime hours between 3pm and 7pm. Most of the Australian radio audience was aged between 25 and 39, with a fairly even split between genders.When it came to reasons for audience members to listen to the radio, the three most popular reasons given by respondents were for local news and information, to hear music that wasn’t available on other stations, and that they play Australian music and support local artists.
Radio and news
Regarding news sources and consumption, radio news isn’t the first source for Australians, with even the older generations preferring to get news from TV and online. It should be noted that radio news doesn’t fair as poorly as print does. As is the case globally, very few individuals choose print media as a news source. Just under a quarter of Australians use radio news as a source, around twenty percent less than those who use social media for news.Moreover, Australians seem to be favoring mobile devices to access online news. The share that chose to use a mobile has been hovering at around the 60 percent figure in recent years, whereas PC use for news access has declined slowly and steadily.
