The weekly online radio audience jumps more than 30 percent in the past year says new Arbitron Edison research study, "The Infinite Dial 2012." The report, just released on Tuesday, shows an extremely positive outlook for today's online radio broadcaster.
"The weekly audience of all forms of online radio is now at an estimated 76 million Americans age 12 and older, reaching 29 percent of the population and representing an increase of more than 30 percent from one year ago" (Arbitron Inc. and Edison Research). We have been seeing major growth bit by bit, but this is the largest year-over-year increase so far, showing that online radio is more relevant than ever.
Here's what you should know and take note of:
- Monthly online radio audience reaches four in ten Americans.
- 39% of Americans, or an estimated 103 million, have listened to online radio in the last month.
- Weekly online radio listeners report listening for close to ten hours a week.
- The majority of online radio listeners also listen to traditional over-the-air radio. 87% of weekly online radio listeners listen to over-the-air, while 13% listen exclusively to online radio.
- With the increase in new cars coming with Bluetooth capabilities, we see an increase of cell phone owners who have listened to online radio in their car via their smartphones.
- One in three radio listeners listen to online radio at work via their computers or mobile devices.
- Online video is rising as well, but the time spent per user with online radio more than doubles the time spent with online video.
Below are some key charts from the report. Click on them to view them full-size.
