HBG Media Minute: Digital Streaming of Terrestrial Radio – Enhance Your Market Share
When it comes to the digital streaming of radio stations, accurate measurement can prove to be difficult. Radio stations are largely left in the dark when it comes to true digital streaming listenership.
This is why we at Harker Bos Group launched a nationwide study asking dedicated radio listeners about their radio streaming habits. More specifically, we wanted to find out just how often they streamed radio stations on their smart phones. This is a question that plagues PD’s and station mangers that are sweating their numbers. In an increasingly diversified media market, people want to know what their slice of the pie is.
In a nationwide study comprising of over 800 radio listeners, the results were reassuringly positive with a sizable chunk indicating that they do indeed regularly stream radio on their smartphones. Let’s dive right into the study by taking a look at the following chart:
Graph (below): Have you ever streamed a radio station on your smartphone?
As it turns out, 77% of surveyed radio listeners have streamed a radio station on their smartphone. That is nearly 4/5ths of the market that is digitally tuning into a terrestrial radio station.
However, these numbers alone won’t satisfy your thirst for market share and potential ad dollars. To get a better picture of the radio streaming share of all terrestrial radio listeners, we prodded them further with the next question:
Graph (below): How often do you stream radio stations on your smartphone?
Of all terrestrial radio listeners, 34% are frequently streaming on their smartphones, roughly equating to radio streaming 3-5 days a week. 27% are occasionally streaming radio via their smartphones (1-2 times a week). To look at the data from another angle, 61% of all terrestrial radio listeners are digitally tuning into radio stations at least once a week. That is a substantial share of radio listeners who are using their smartphone to tune in. It is utterly essential to factor in these numbers when attempting to gauge your actual market share.
To those who might be gently objecting to these findings by stating to themselves, “Well, they may stream radio stations, but they could be listening to any station that’s out there, not just in my local market.” Let us reassure you with the proceeding results from our study:
Graph (below): Do you use your smartphone to stream radio stations that are based in your area?*
(*Listeners who stated they have streamed a radio station on their smartphone)
While there are those that stream stations from different markets, the clear and overwhelming majority of listeners who stream radio over their smartphones do so from their local markets. 92% of those who stream the radio via their smartphones, are streaming stations that are based in their area.
We at Harker Bos Group can confidently state that no station listenership measurement is accurate without the inclusion of digital streaming data. In fact, discounting the digital stream of your station would result in a deeply flawed underestimation of your true market share.
That is all for this week’s HBG Media Minute. Be sure to stay up to date with our latest studies at HarkerBos.com
Study Profile:
Study Conducted in December 2022
800+ Radio Listeners
Nationwide Sample
Male/Female
All Ethnicities/Races
Ages 18+
