Radio’s Streaming Disruption How Streaming And Smartphones Disrupt Radio Audiences

The 20,000 Foot View

Along with TV, radio is one of the most pervasive media platforms on the planet.  It is also still one of the key drivers of music discovery. But things are changing.  Historically Radio broadcasters had their audiences protected in the safe confines of dedicated devices and direct competition was thin on the ground. But audiences now have choice and spend progressively more of their entertainment time on multifunction devices.  Audience segments that have until now been considered bastions of radio listening, such as the in-car and at-work are being swamped by an influx of streaming services via technologies such as smartphones, tablets and interactive dashboards.  The trend is particularly pronounced among younger consumers, with penetration rates and listening time in decline. The impact on the global radio market will be vast and broadcasters will need to up the innovation ante to keep pace.

Key Findings

• In a            of years smartphone penetration is            higher than regular radio listening            to           
• Even though            time among younger audiences may            declining, audience penetration still outstrips            audio across all ages 
• Radio and            have opposite demographic adoption, radio            increasing with age and streaming           
• Audiences under            under average radio listening penetration,            over average streaming penetration 
• Under            are            likely to listen to radio            most likely to stream music           
• Audiences over            over average listening penetration, but            average streaming penetration
• Digital radio            strategies of traditional broadcasters are            globally
• Radio will            on to its global dominance            years yet but disruption will           

Companiesmentioned in this report: Apple, YouTube, Pandora, BBC,Slacker