Among Weekly Users, Online Radio Consumption Trounces Online Video

April 5, 2013

This article is included in these additional categories:

Digital | Media & Entertainment | Radio

ArbitronEdisonResearch-Online-Video-v-Online-Radio-Consumption-Apr2013Online video has been the subject of a fair amount of research of late (see here and here for examples), and is certainly worthy of the attention. But, Edison Research and Arbitron would like to remind everyone that there’s something else out there called online radio, and among users, it’s far ahead of online video in terms of weekly consumption. According to the researchers’ study [download page], self-reported time spent per week is about 3 times higher for weekly online radio listeners (11 hours and 56 minutes) than for weekly online video viewers (4 hours). And the gap’s only getting bigger.

For example, last year, online radio listeners reported spending about 7-and-a-half hours more per week than online video viewers (9:46 versus 4:20). Rewind back to 2008, and the gap was less than 4 hours (6:13 versus 2:20). Between 2008 and 2013, weekly online radio users report increasing their weekly consumption by 343 minutes, compared to 100 minutes for online video viewers.

Naturally, one might question online radio in terms of reach, and online video does take the lead in this regard. That is, survey respondents (aged 12 and up) were 30% more likely to say they had watched online video “last week” than to have listened to online radio (43% vs. 33%).

The figures were closer for monthly consumption, at 49% and 45%, respectively. That proportion (49%) for monthly online video viewership seems quite low, though: comScore recently reported that 83.3% of US internet users watched online video in February.

Still, while online video may reach more Americans, online radio reach appears to be on an upward trend of its own. This year’s 33% reporting weekly consumption is up from 29% last year, 22% in 2011, and 17% in 2009 and 2010.

Of course, online radio and online video are not mutually exclusive. However, with so much attention being paid to online video, it’s an interesting reminder that online radio has itself a devoted – and growing – audience.

About the Data: In January/February 2013, Arbitron and Edison Research conducted a national telephone survey offered in both English and Spanish language (landline and cell phone) of 2,021 people aged 12 and older. Data were weighted to national 12+ population figures. Online radio is defined as “listening to AM/FM radio stations online and/or listening to audio content available only on the internet.”

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