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Traditional Radio's Digital Competition Increases in Q4

New forms of music consumption continue to cut into traditional radio, according to aÂ Bridge Ratings study of predictive media behavior for the fourth quarter of 2007, which found that users of MP3 players and satellite radio, in particular, plan to spend more time with those technologies.

The study was conducted in August with a panel of 2,533 persons age 13+ via national random telephone interviewing; 20% of the sample was cellphone-based.

Some 31% of satellite radio subscribers expect to be listening more over “the next three months,” as do 22% of MP3-player owners, 17% of internet radio listeners, and 10% of traditional radio listeners.

Among the findings of the study:

Portable Music Players

Bridge Ratings estimates that 22% of MP3 player users will increase their MP3 time-spent-listening this fall.

Initial use of iPods and MP3 players by new consumers in particular is at least 25% higher in the first six months than by the 12th month of use, and a fourth-quarter influx will enhance overall use, Bridge Ratings said.

Traditional Radio

Those listeners to AM/FM radio who are listening more than 14+ hours per week indicate that they will be listening less, while those who typically consume fewer than 13 hours per week radio expect to spend slightly more time with the radio this fall.

Some 10% predict that they will be spending less time with an AM or FM station this fall.

Satellite Radio

Almost one- third of the satellite radio sample estimated that they would be listening more this fall.

Satellite radio listeners with the heaviest consumption project increased use this fall.

Internet Radio

Some 17% of internet radio listeners indicated that they would be listening to Internet Radio more “in the next three months.”

Internet radio’s heaviest users (14+ hours per week) say they’ll likely be spending slightly less time listening this fall; those traditionally spending between 4 and 13 hours a week say they’ll be listening more.

Internet net radio use is nearing 27% of the US population and should reach that number (82 million per month) by the beginning of 2008, according to Bridge Ratings.