Australians spend 3.4 hours a day listening to audio according to the inaugural, Australian-first Share of Listening – Australia study, a universal view of how Australians are consuming and listening to audio.
Below is the summary of the research commissioned by Pandora.
The independent research by Vision Critical was developed following the US Share of Ear study pioneered by Edison that captures listening behaviour across multiple sources. The Share of Listening – Australia study aims to provide a complete and constructive audio snapshot of listening behaviour, including total time spent listening, share of individual channels and devices, mapping listening behaviour by time of day, location and activity.
Commissioned by Pandora, the Share of Listening – Australia study will be conducted twice a year to explore the current listening behaviours of Australians. This first study was implemented towards the end of 2016 to provide an independent and accurate snapshot of the shifting listening behaviours of all Australians that in turn is being published as an outlook that sets a benchmark for 2017 and beyond.
The next survey will be released in the second half of this year.
The study found that while traditional radio still has a 52% share of listening, streaming services, such as Pandora, have captured 11% of the market in just three years, jumping to the No. 3 listening choice ahead of online music videos and traditional music television.
The research also shows that music streaming is changing listening behaviour. Music streaming consumption is consistent throughout the day and especially evenings with a core 14- to 39-year-old demographic, while radio leads during the morning commute and skews to an older audience of 40- to 69-year-olds.
“While traditional radio still commands a large reach, the advent and uptake of music streaming is delivering incremental audiences for advertisers. The research found that one in three millennials do not listen to traditional radio in a given week. It’s a compelling look at current listening habits,” Pandora ANZ director of business development Rick Gleave said.
Average time spent listening is stronger for streaming services versus traditional radio across all demographic groups.
Pandora is the No. 1 streaming brand for average time spent listening, according to the study. More than one in 10 Pandora listening occasions were over three hours long, compared to one in 20 for other streaming services.
The majority of traditional radio listening happens in the car during the commute. However, streamers listen throughout the day across multiple devices. Pandora users are more likely to listen in the home, at work, in the gym, as well as the car.
In addition, 83% of Pandora listening occasions are on mobile (compared to 72% for the total streaming market), reaching listeners at any time and any place. As a result, Pandora has the greatest share of listening occasions throughout the day, with 60% occurring between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
“This offers advertisers more opportunity, as listeners have a greater ability to respond to calls to action.” Gleave added.