Image

Estimated reading time: 3 min 46 s

As the media most associated with the working population and being on the move, September 2020 to June 2021 were certainly strange times for the radio, thanks to working from home, lockdowns and curfews. Against this backdrop, audiences at home increased, as did listening on digital devices. New listening domains asserted their potential, especially with regards to the expansion of podcasts and smart-controlled speakers.

Growth in digital radio audience

The pandemic utterly transformed every field, including how we listen to the radio. With listeners spending so much time at home, the transition to digital audio devices became accelerated. Accordingly, 8.3 million people (15.1% of individuals aged 13 and older) were listening to the radio on digital devices on a daily basis. A proportion that had shot up from 12% five years earlier.

This digital audience primarily used a mobile phone to listen to the radio (4.7 million daily listeners), followed by computers and smart speakers. They spent 2 hours 18 minutes every day listening to the radio via these digital devices – over 17% of daily radio output consumed (compared to 11.7% five years ago).

As well as the convenience factor, French people enjoyed the different features offered by digital devices, such as catch-up listening and podcasts. Although live broadcasts were still preferred, 2.6 million users spent 1hr 09 mins daily on catch-up listening; up from 1.1 million five years earlier.

Podcasts were booming, helped by infinite content possibilities that were very niche in some cases. Radio stations were the main sources: 136 million listening sessions and / or podcast downloads from radio stations were measured in September 2021. Podcasts are an innovative format with appeal for younger audiences: 44% of listeners were under 35 years old. Signalling their commitment to the format, almost half of podcast listeners said they would recommend or rate podcasts.

Julie Terrade, Director of National Radio within Médiamétrie, revealed: "Opportunities for listening to radio stations are expanding, and new domains are emerging through partnerships between radio and platforms: Twitter/Snap, Radioplayer, Deezer, Spotify. Another growth area is smart speakers which 15.9% of French people now own (13.1% a year ago)."

At-home radio listening increases

The public health crisis massively affected the pace of life for French people, given the restrictions on their mobility and the unusual working conditions. Nearly a third of the workforce performed their jobs differently, in particular working from home, part-time working, etc.

Although the French were waking up later, morning radio was still a high point, drawing nearly 13 million listeners on average each morning at 8am.

Another consequence of the pandemic measures this season has been the increase in listening to the radio at home, especially among the working population. Listening to the radio in the car remained popular with 72% of individuals doing so, and 57% at home.

In spite of the impacts of the pandemic, over this season, more than 40 million listeners tuned into the radio daily – almost 3 in 4 people (73.2%) aged 13 and older. Western France and especially Brittany were some of the regions with the highest radio audience levels.

In terms of age groups, those aged 50 and over were keen listeners, however, many young people also listened to the radio, especially to music: nearly two-thirds of 25 to 34 year olds listened to the radio daily, for a duration of 2 hrs 22 mins.

Radio was still a force among upper socio-professional categories (CSP+) with more than 8 out of 10 listening to the radio every day. Artisans and traders listened to the radio for 3 hours 23 minutes per day on average. Executives were real fans of general interest programmes.

Radio leads listening habits

Radio was centre stage in the audio ecosystem. As the leading listening mode, it accounted for 60% of daily audio listening, ahead of music streaming and listening to music from a personal library on CD, MP3, or vinyl (39%).

Julie Terrade continued: "Radio is a mainstay of audio consumption: discovering music and the news; radio and the other audio universes are interconnected and stimulate one another."

Audiences primarily tuned into the radio to listen to music (57.8%). Then for the news (49.5%), followed by practical information (29.7%).

“Listeners feel a strong connection with the radio as it connects them to the world throughout the day, no matter where they are. More than 8 out of 10 listeners love the fact that the radio informs them of global events, and almost 8 out of 10 said they appreciate its friendly tone. Radio listeners are very loyal: 70% listen to the radio almost every day," concluded Julie Terrade.