ARN has today revealed data showing an increase in audience across its on-demand radio, music, digital and podcast platforms.
ARN has recorded significant growth when comparing data from February to March 2020.
iHeartRadio Australia has experienced a 31% increase in registrations and a 26% increase in new usersi , with listeners also increasing their duration of engagement, with a 5% increase in time spent listening to stations across the KIIS, Pure Gold and The Edge networksii.
This data is backed up by growth in digital and social user engagement with website users across ARN’s KIIS, Pure Gold and The Edge increasing by 63%, and page views up by 49%iii.
Station Facebook video views increased by 90% and the number of Facebook users increased by 55%iv and ARN also recorded a 38% increase in time spent listening to podcasts on iHeartPodcast Network Australiav.
With a desire to understand how and why listeners were tuning into podcasts in exponential numbers, ARN collaborated with leading podcast hosting service Megaphone to review the listening habits of over 600,000 Australians.
This demonstrated that overall podcast downloads have increased by 15%vi since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and there has been a three-fold growth in listeners accessing coronavirus related content.
ARN’s Commercial Product and Audio Partnerships Director Corey Layton said: “This research shows that growing numbers of Australians are using podcasts to connect with COVID-19 content that tells the stories behind the headlines, or engaging with aligned content that entertains us, like Australian comedian Nazeem Hussain’s ‘Survivor’s Guide to Coronavirus’.”
The Megaphone data also exposed shifting trends in the time of day that Australians are consuming podcasts. Up until the pandemic was declared, podcast listening trends peaked in line with morning and evening commutes.
With working from home now the new norm, consumption remains relatively constant across the day with a sharp increase in listening between 11am and 1pmvii.
On the shift in podcast consumption times, ARN’s National Strategy Director, Lauren Joyce said: “With many Australians no longer commuting, people are establishing a new routine. Without the distinct breakers between home, work and ‘me’ time, they are turning to the intimate listening experience of podcasts to carve out this ‘third space’.
“As home and work life blend, podcasts are a circuit-breaker to the day with special interest content creating the ‘escape’ that either their commute or lunchtime at work with colleagues usually would.
“For advertisers this provides a unique opportunity to tap into audiences during the moments that they are actively seeking out content while they are highly engaged and uninterrupted.”
In addition, there were variations in the types of content that podcast listeners are accessing. The Megaphone listening data provides evidence of Australians self-managing their consumption of emotionally weighty contentviii.
The significant increase in consumption of COVID-19 content appears to correlate with a decline in listening to True Crime content, while consumption of emotionally lighter podcasts like entertainment, lifestyle and catchup radio has increasedix.
This is further demonstrated through podcasts such as ‘Stuff You Should Know’ and ‘The Kyle & Jackie O Show’ podcast experiencing higher rates of downloads during the surveyed period.
ARN’s Commercial Product and Audio Partnerships Director Corey Layton said: “Given the intimate nature of podcast listening, we already knew that people were using it as a medium to escape, entertain and be informed. What this data indicates is that even with heightened competition from screens in the home, people are still actively choosing to listen to on-demand audio, which proves the transporting and engaging effects of the medium.”
ARN Chief Commercial Officer Pete Whitehead said: “ARN continues to be committed to offering the very best content across all of our audio platforms – whether it be radio, music or podcasts. We know that while our audience’s day-to-day behaviours might be shifting, they are consuming radio to remain connected, they’re on digital to stay engaged, and are listening to podcasts to escape. Their day might have changed but their appetite for audio hasn’t.
“As they listen for longer, it provides even greater opportunities for brands to engage. Due to the immediacy of radio, our advertisers can adapt their campaigns in real-time, aligning messaging for our engaged listeners.
“This is the true power of audio – it’s adaptable and immediate in response to changing customer demands, offering clients the most optimal opportunities for integration.”
Sources:
i iHeartRadio: Feb20 vs Mar20 – Adobe & Google Analytics, ARN stream log data, iHeartMedia stream data, iHeartMedia database
ii iHeartRadio: Feb20 vs Mar20 – Adobe & Google Analytics, ARN stream log data, iHeartMedia stream data, iHeartMedia database
iii Sites: Feb20 vs Mar20 – Google Analytics; P18+; ARN site total; Australian Users Only
iv Social: Feb20 vs Mar20 – Facebook, Instagram, Global Traffic; ARN site total
v iHeartRadio: Feb20 vs Mar20 – Adobe & Google Analytics, ARN stream log data, iHeartMedia stream data, iHeartMedia database
vi Megaphone, March 2020, compared with February average weekly downloads
vii Megaphone, March 2020, compared with February average weekly downloads
viii Megaphone, March 2020, compared with February average weekly downloads
ix Megaphone, March 2020, compared with February average weekly downloads
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