Feature: Radio Makes Waves With New Technology
Radio has long been regarded as the grandfather of British broadcasting. However, the ageing stereotype of radio listeners planting themselves in front of the wireless for an evening’s entertainment could be numbered, with new analysis of RAJAR data from the RAB showing that more and more people are turning to digital TV, the internet and mobile phones for their favourite radio programmes.
According to the RAB, radio listening via these new technologies is on the increase, with almost 15% of adults tuning in via the TV during the third quarter of 2002, up from around 13% in the same period the previous year. This percentage rises significantly for the ad-friendly 15-24s, 23.8% of whom listen via the TV (see below).
The popularity of radio listening via the television looks likely to increase as the new Freeview digital terrestrial service, which carries a number of radio stations as part of its package, become more established. More and more listeners look set to consume radio alongside TV, offering advertisers the potential to further exploit cross-platform strategies.
Radio continues to prove its compatibility with the internet and the RAB’s analysis of the RAJAR data shows that online listening has been adopted by almost 12% of adults and around 21% of 15-24s, almost double the number recorded two years ago. The frequency of internet radio listening is also increasing, with more than one in five of online listeners tuning in at least once a week, up more than 10% year on year.
The fact that internet usage is on the increase is good news for national UK radio stations, which, according to the RAB, are the most popular choice for online listeners, followed by stations outside the UK and the local UK stations. Recent research from Arbitron Webcast and Measurecast shows that Virgin Radio is one of the UK’s most listened to internet radio stations.
An increasing number of mobile phones are also being fitted with radio receivers meaning that listening on the move is becoming and increasingly popular option. The figures show that almost 2% of adults listened to the radio via their mobile phones during the third quarter of 2002, compared to 6% of 15-24s.
These figures will help to put an end to fears that the dominance of radio is waning in the increasingly crowded multi-media landscape. They also add weight to the notion that the grandfather of British broadcasting is shaking-off its old school image in preparation for the looming technological changes of the 21st Century.
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