The JNLR’s ‘Radio in a Digital World’ report, compiled by Ipsos/ MRBI from the most recently published listenership data, shows that listening to Irish radio stations via digital devices is growing.
Currently, 8% of the population, or 330,000 people, listen each day using a digital device - specifically 4.8% listen via a mobile device, 1.9% listen on a PC / laptop, 1.7% on a Smart Speaker and the remainder on a TV set or DAB. 77% of Irish adults are choosing to listen on FM.
The research also shows that younger audiences are listening to radio in significant numbers.
In the 15-24 age group, and despite the intensively competitive media environment, almost 7 in 10 listen to Irish radio every day. In comparison, 38% of this age group listen to Spotify every day. Among this cohort, more than half (58%) listen to radio via an FM device and 16% listen on a digital device. Digital devices used are predominantly the mobile device (11.9%), with the PC / Laptop used by 2.6% and smart speakers used by 1.9%.
Despite the proliferation of media content, platforms and devices, the research shows that Irish radio has maintained its significant impact on Irish audiences over the years. This report shows that 3.2 million people in Ireland now listen to radio each weekday – 81% of the 15+ population.
The number of adults listening to radio (81%) is second only to TV viewing (85%) and significantly greater than those engaged with social media (53%), viewing video on-demand services such as Netflix (28%) or listening to music on Spotify (15%).
Other key statistics include:
- 20% of all adults have downloaded a radio station app to their smart device.
- Irish people own multiple devices enabling access to radio at home or on the move. 91% own a car radio, 89% own an FM radio, 77% have radio on their TV, 77% have access to radio on their mobile phone, 70% on their PC or laptop and 32% say they can access on a smart speaker.
- Irish audiences spend a total of 13.3 million hours listening to Irish radio each week day, equating to 4 hours 16 minutes per listener, per day.
- 5 million hours are spent listening via FM each week day, while audiences listen on digital devices for almost 0.8 million hours. This represents 5.9% of all time spent listening and among 15-24s, the proportion stands at 17.2%.
Beat’s Head of Station Sound Niall Power says the research is very encouraging when it comes to younger listeners: "What’s really interesting is that despite all of the competition for time and ears nowadays, younger audiences are still listening to radio in significant numbers. This robust data from IPSOS MRBI shows that for those aged under 24, almost 7 in 10 listen to Irish radio every single day. That compares with just 38% in the same age group listening to Spotify every day."
Scott Williams, Independent Chair of the JNLR Committee, said: “Irish people love radio, as the JNLR data consistently shows. 81% of Irish adults listen to radio each weekday. Access to radio has never been easier with growing consumption on digital devices. The youngest group, 15-24 year olds, spend 17.2% of their Irish radio listening time on a digital device.
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