Live radio accounts for a near 79 per cent share of listening time in the daily Irish audio market, research conducted by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of the radio industry has found.
Four in five Irish adults aged 15-plus listen to radio every day, with 89 per cent of people aged 65-plus doing so and 69 per cent of the 15-24-year-old group tuning in, according to the report, which was commissioned by the Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) committee.
The interim report concluded that 92 per cent listen to live radio on a weekly basis, compared with 53 per cent who listen to on-demand or online audio weekly. Ownership of voice-activated audio devices has almost trebled in three years to 30 per cent, with 6 per cent of people using a smart speaker on an average day and younger listeners significantly more likely to do so.
The next detailed JNLR listenership report, which includes the latest listenership figures for individual shows on Irish radio stations, will be published in December having been last released in November 2020. Covid-19 lockdown periods have affected the data gathering as the research, usually updated quarterly, is based on detailed one-to-one interviews in people’s homes.
“The Irish audio market is dynamic and sophisticated and Irish radio remains the most significant audio provider in the country notwithstanding the rise in popularity of streaming and podcasting,” said Scott Williams, JNLR committee chairman.
