Digital radio on the rise

By By David Blight | 21 March 2011
 

Nearly 700,000 people are now tuning in to digital radio each week, as the radio industry starts looking beyond its diary-based audience measurement system.

Digital radio sales and listening figures have increased, according to Commercial Radio Australia's second Digital Radio Industry Report, which found listeners had increased from 449,000 digital listeners in March 2010.

In total, 5.6% of radio listeners are now tuning in to digital radio.

Additionally, 406,012 digital radios are now in the market, indicating a 185% year on year increase.

Listeners are also spending more time listening to digital radio, at an average of 11 hours and 11 minutes each week, up by two hours and 55 minutes since the first digital survey in March 2010. Time spent listening has overtaken online listening, which sits at five hours and 11 minutes. 

CRA chief executive Joan Warner said: "We're very pleased with these latest figures but recognise there is still much work to be done, particularly in relation to the roll out of digital radio to the rest of Australia.  Our priorities over the next 12 months will be to build the growing metropolitan audience and the range of receivers available to them;  work on specific promotions with retailers; work with car manufacturers to get  DAB+ radios into cars; and work with the Government to plan the regional rollout."

Meanwhile, CRA has indicated that in 2011 it will be testing out additional methods of data capturing beyond the diary-based system.

Warner told AdNews: "We are not discarding the diary-based system, which is best practise around the globe, but the research committee has started examining other methods which could improve measurement."

CRA will consider looking at online surveys and smartphone technology, but Warner concluded that online surveys had been unsuccessful in the past and that smartphone technology has not yet been perfected. 

The "people meters" which have been employed in some parts of the USA will not be tested in Australia.

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