Radio: Live On Air and Everywhere from NPR and Edison Research

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NPR and Edison Research today released the findings of their first-ever study of its kind on radio — which identifies six segments of radio listeners, their listening behaviors and their attitudes towards advertising.

Click here to download Radio: Live On Air and Everywhere from NPR and Edison Research

The study, titled “Radio: Live on Air and Everywhere” reveals that radio plays an important role in the lives of consumers and that the majority of radio listeners are receptive to sponsorship messages on the platform. The findings were presented in a webinar hosted by NPR VP of Sponsorship Marketing Lamar Johnson and Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick and is available now at http://npr.org/radioiseverywhere.

Approximately 156 million people age 18+ – 63% of U.S. adults – listen to AM/FM radio daily, and listeners are driven to the medium for myriad reasons. The study finds that the heaviest users of radio are the most open to its advertising messages. Two of the six segments of listeners, “Radio Heads” and “Connection Seekers,” the groups that spend the most time with radio, are the least likely to avoid ads or sponsorship messages on AM/FM radio.

The six radio listener segments identified are:

  • Radio Heads (9% of radio listeners) Listen for all audio needs; listen to the most radio
  • Connection Seekers (16% of radio listeners) Listen for company and connection
  • Infomaniacs (18% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume news and information 
  • Rhythm Rockers (27% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume music 
  • Laidback Listeners (17% of radio listeners) Listen to radio only in the background 
  • Habitualists (13% of radio listeners) Listen to radio when it is the only option available 

Regardless of segment, 47% of radio listeners overall agree that listening to ads is a fair tradeoff to consume the free content. Almost half of all AM/FM radio listeners (46%) say they have considered a new company, product, or service after hearing an ad on the radio. 

NPR Radio listeners show a particularly strong engagement with radio and its sponsorship messages: with 46% agreeing that they are more likely to trust a company they hear advertised on NPR and 59% agreeing that NPR engages their mind in a more positive way than other media does. NPR listeners are more likely to be Infoseekers (26% of all NPR listeners), Connection Seekers (19%), and Radio Heads (15%)  than the average radio listener.    

Although often eclipsed in the media by other audio platforms, AM/FM radio commands 41% of all time spent listening to audio by those in the U.S. age 18+. Even with the growth in available online audio and other options, this new research finds that 33% of AM/FM radio listeners say the platform is becoming a more important part of their lives.  

“NPR has been a leader in radio for 50 years, with programming airing across more than 1000 member stations nationally,” said NPR VP of Sponsorship Marketing Lamar Johnson. “And while we all can agree that radio certainly has had an amazing legacy – we’re thrilled to see it also has a very vibrant future, with dedicated listeners who are especially engaged with radio’s content, including advertising and sponsorship messages.”

According to Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick, “Even in a world where people have many audio options, radio is by far the most listened-to in terms of reach and the most-used in terms of time. Don’t take for granted the fact that radio is everywhere – providing enormous audiences and engaged responses from tens of millions of people, every hour of every day.” 

How the study was conducted
Radio: Live On Air and Everywhere from NPR and Edison Research is based on a national online survey of 1,500 U.S. adults age 18 and older, conducted January 13-21, 2021. All respondents reported listening to AM/FM radio (traditional or streamed) in the last week. Data was weighted to match the sex, age, and ethnicity of AM/FM radio weekly listeners from The Infinite Dial from Edison Research and Triton Digital.  Edison Research Share of Ear®: A total of 4,000+ respondents age 13+ completed an online or offline survey which was offered in English and Spanish. Data weighted to national 12+ U.S. population estimates and has been tracked since 2014.

About NPR
NPR, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, is widely known for its rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling that connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in-person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), and now on smart speaker devices — where listeners can simply say, “Play NPR” to tune into their local Member station’s live stream. Users can also access NPR podcasts, NPR One, NPR News Now, and the Visual Newscast on screened speakers. For more information visit npr.org/about and follow NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Edison Research
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information in over 50 countries for clients including AMC Theatres, AMC Theatres, Amazon, Apple, The Brookings Institute, Facebook, The Gates Foundation, Google, the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau, Oracle, Pandora, The Pew Research Center, Samsung, Spotify, and SiriusXM Radio. The national tracking study The Infinite Dial® and the syndicated Share of Ear® are two of the most widely cited studies in the audio space. Edison is also the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research for NPR, Slate, ESPN, PodcastOne, WNYC Studios, and many more companies in the podcasting space.  Edison’s network of more than 20,000 experienced interviewers allows the company to conduct research in almost any location. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool. For the 2020 U.S. elections, Edison will provide exit polls and will tabulate the national vote across every county in the United States for ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News.

Contacts, Press Only:    

Devon Landis
National Public Media at NPR
(202) 513-3490
dlandis@nationalpublicmedia.com

 Laura Ivey
Edison Research
(908) 707-4707
livey@edisonresearch.com

The Infinite Dial 2021

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Eighty Million Americans Listen to Podcasts Weekly with Most Diverse Audience Ever;
Online Audio Listening and Smart Speaker Ownership Show Continued Growth

Click here to download The Infinite Dial 2021

Click here for The State of Podcast Listening for 2021: Podcasting Finds a Way, from The Infinite Dial 2021

Scroll down to view a recording of  The Infinite Dial 2021

Podcasting continues its significant and steady growth while its overall audience is more diverse than ever, according to The Infinite Dial 2021® from Edison Research and Triton Digital. Along with podcasting, smart speaker ownership and online audio consumption showed notable gains in this year’s survey. 


Approximately eighty million Americans – 28% of the U.S. 12+ population – are now weekly podcast listeners, a 17% increase over 2020. The overall monthly podcast listening audience is now more diverse than ever: 57% of monthly podcast listeners are white, 16% Latino, 13% African American, 4% Asian, and 10% of some other background. 
 
Sixty-two percent of the U.S. 12+ population, around 176 million people, are now weekly online audio listeners, an all-time high for this category. 

 

One-third (33%) of Americans 12+, approximately 94 million people, now own a smart speaker, an increase of 22% from last year and nearly five times what it was in 2017 (7%). Of those who own a smart speaker, 34% have three or more of the devices in their household.  
 
The Infinite Dial 2021 marks a significant year for the study, as the media measurement was done almost entirely during a time of quarantine or some level of restriction due to Covid-19. The historical data in The Infinite Dial provides pre-Covid trending capability.  
 
“In the near quarter of a century that the Infinite Dial has been the survey of record for digital audio, the space has never been more vibrant, or more diverse, than it is today,” said Tom Webster, Senior Vice President at Edison Research. “Podcasting, in particular, has made great gains with women and non-White audiences, and truly reflects the diversity of America.” 

 

“We are pleased to partner with Edison Research to unveil the results of the 2021 U.S. Infinite Dial,” said John Rosso, President of Market Development at Triton Digital. “The results of this year’s study are exceptionally interesting, as they provide insight into Americans’ consumption of radio, streaming audio, podcasts, and usage of smart speakers during a time of unprecedented disruption in our everyday lives.” 
 
Other findings include:  

·       88% of Americans 12+ own a smartphone, another year of growth from 85% last year. Tablet (51%) and smartwatch (18%) ownership have plateaued, meaning the smartphone is by far most popular device for media consumption. 
 

·       TikTok usage surged, particularly among 12-34 year-olds. Forty-four percent of 12-34 year-olds are using the service, up from 25% last year – an increase of 76%. 
 

·       For the first time in the history of the study, Facebook is no longer named as the social media brand used most often by a majority of social media users, as 47% say it is the platform they use most (down from 54% the year before and 62% in 2016).  
  

·       One in five Americans 12+ have now watched a live stream of a videogame, and 10% broadcast their own games.  
 

·       51% of those age 12+ “frequently” or “sometimes” listen to audio with other people, with this percentage rising to 69% among those age 12-34. 
  

·       The percentage of Americans 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month decreased from 87% in 2020 to 83% this year.

 

About The Infinite Dial 
The Infinite Dial® study uses the gold standard of nationally representative survey research—a random probability telephone sample comprised of both mobile phones and landlines— of all Americans ages 12 and older. Findings from the Infinite Dial have become the barometer on digital audio and other digital media consumption, and is widely used and quoted by broadcasters, podcasters, online radio publishers, ad agencies, and the financial community.  ­­­

How the study was conducted 
A total of 1,507 persons were interviewed to explore Americans’ use of digital platforms and new media. From January 4th through February 2nd, 2021, telephone interviews were conducted with respondents age 12 and older who were selected via Random Digit Dial (RDD) sampling through both landline phones and mobile phones. The survey was offered in both Spanish and English. Data was weighted to national 12+ U.S. population estimates. 
 

 

About Edison Research 
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of commercial clients, governments, and NGOs, including AMC Theatres, Amazon, Apple, BBC, The Brookings Institution, Facebook, The Gates Foundation, Google, Voice of America, The New York Times, Oracle, Pandora, The Pew Research Center, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, and UnidosUS. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research on the medium for NPR, PodcastOne, Slate, Spotify, Stitcher/Midroll, ESPN, WNYC Studios, Wondery, and many more companies in the space. Another specialty for Edison Research is its work for media companies throughout the world, conducting research in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Edison Research is also the leading provider of consumer exit polling and has conducted face-to-face research in almost every imaginable venue. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool, consisting of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News, conducting exit polls and collecting real-time vote results in all 50 states. 

 

 

About Triton Digital 

Triton Digital® is the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry. Operating in more than 80 countries, Triton provides innovative technology that enables broadcasters, podcasters, and online music services to build their audience, maximize their revenue, and streamline their day-to-day operations. In addition, Triton powers the global online audio industry with Webcast Metrics®, the leading online audio measurement service and Podcast Metrics, one of the first IAB certified podcast measurement services in the industry. With unparalleled integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability, Triton remains committed to connecting audio, audience, and advertisers to continuously fuel the growth of the global online industry.  Triton Digital is a wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).  For more information, visit www.TritonDigital.com. 

Mobile device share of listening on track to surpass traditional radio receivers in the U.S.

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Listening on a mobile device now accounts for 30% of all time spent listening to audio by those age 13+ in the U.S., an increase of 67% since 2014, according to the latest Share of Ear® report from Edison Research. Listening on a mobile device has been growing steadily since Edison Research’s Share of Ear study began tracking audio consumption among Americans in 2014.

The gap between listening on a traditional radio receiver and a mobile device among those age 13+ has narrowed remarkably quickly since 2014: 31 percentage points separated the two in 2014 and only five percentage points separate the two today. The traditional AM/FM radio receiver does account for the largest share of audio consumed but has decreased the most since the survey began, now accounting for 35% of all audio consumption compared to 49% in 2014.

Mobile devices have already surpassed traditional radio receivers in the younger age groups. Among those age 13-34, 46% of total daily audio consumption is done on a mobile device and 20% is done on a traditional AM/FM radio receiver.

It is important to note that these statistics speak to device only, not the audio product that is delivered by the device. Mobile devices can deliver a wide range of audio products, including radio station programming.

“Mobile devices, particularly of course the phone, have been gaining on the traditional radio receiver as the primary listening device for as long as we have been measuring Share of Ear, but with the disruptions of the last year the gap has narrowed dramatically.” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin.  “As fewer people have a standard radio receiver in their homes these days, naturally more listening comes through digital devices.”

COVID-19 disruptions meant Americans spent more time consuming audio at home in 2020 and less time consuming audio in-car, the prime location for listening to a traditional AM/FM receiver, which could explain some of the change in the past year. Further data analysis in the coming year will be needed to see if these audio habits remain post-quarantine.

How the Share of Ear® study is conducted: Edison Research conducts a nationally representative study of Americans ages 13 and older to measure their time spent listening to audio sources. Respondents complete a 24-hour diary of their audio listening on an assigned day. Diaries are completed both online and by-mail using a paper diary. Diaries are offered in both English and Spanish. The Share of Ear study is released quarterly and is available on a subscription basis.

For more information about becoming a subscriber to Share of Ear, visit www.shareofear.com or email Edison Research at info@edisonresearch.com.

About Edison Research
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of commercial clients, governments, and NGOs, including AMC Theatres, Amazon, Apple, BBC, The Brookings Institution, Facebook, The Gates Foundation, Google, Voice of America, The New York Times, Oracle, Pandora, The Pew Research Center, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, and UnidosUS. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research on the medium for NPR, PodcastOne, Slate, Spotify, Stitcher/Midroll, ESPN, WNYC Studios, Wondery, and many more companies in the space. Another specialty for Edison Research is its work for media companies throughout the world, conducting research in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Edison Research is also the leading provider of consumer exit polling and has conducted face-to-face research in almost every imaginable venue. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool, consisting of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News, conducting exit polls and collecting real-time vote results in all 50 states.

 

 

Twitter Before and After Trump

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Click here to download Twitter Before and After Trump

Scroll down to view a recording of the webinar

AMERICANS USING TWITTER FOLLOWING TRUMP BAN; LEVELS OF MISTRUST REMAIN

Twitter saw increases in usage immediately following the platform’s ban of then-President Trump on January 8, particularly among younger people and those who identify as more politically liberal, according to new data from The Social Habit from Edison Research .

On January 8, 2021, the social media giant Twitter banned President Trump from the platform. Ongoing measurement from Edison Research’s The Social Habit study reveals that prior to the ban, 43% of U.S. social media users age 18+ said they use Twitter. After the ban, 52% say they use Twitter, an increase of 21%. Daily Twitter usage also increased, from 24% of social media users age 18+ pre-ban to 29% post-ban.

Twitter saw an increase in number of social media users under age 55 after the Trump ban, regardless of race or gender.

More politically liberal social media users are using Twitter following the Trump ban, from 37% using the platform daily pre-ban to 46% using the platform daily post-ban, an increase of 24%. But perhaps surprisingly, despite the elimination of the ‘texter-in-chief’, there was also an increase of daily Twitter usage among politically conservative social media users, from 18% pre-ban to 21% post-ban.

“Our new social media tracking survey allows us, for the first time, to see how a direct regulatory action by a social media platform affected usage by Americans. For Twitter, the ban on President Trump resulted in an increased number of users,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin.

Regarding trust, Twitter picked up a couple of points post-ban, albeit from a very low starting point. Pre-ban, 5% of social media users said Twitter was the “one social media service they trust the most.” Post-ban, 7% said they trusted Twitter the most. Trust issues abound when it comes to social media: 40% of social media users said “None of these” services were trusted the most among YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Parler, or TikTok. The 40% of social media users reporting that “none of these” were trusted the most was unchanged post-ban.

Twitter also gained some points post-ban as the “social media service you turn to first for news and information” up from 10% of all social media users pre-ban to 14% of social media users post-ban.

Edison Research has been tracking social media behaviors as part of The Infinite Dial® since 2008. The Social Habit provides the ability to analyze data on social media users by political party affiliation or political ideology, among many other demographic variables. For more information on The Social Habit, visit: https://www.edisonresearch.com/edison-research-introduces-the-social-habit/.

About Edison Research
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients, including Activision, AMC Theatres, Disney, Dolby Laboratories, Google, Oracle, the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau, Pandora, Samsung, Siemens, Sony, The Gates Foundation, and Univision. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research on the medium for NPR, Slate, ESPN, PodcastOne, WNYC Studios, and many more companies in the space. Another specialty for Edison is its work for media companies throughout the world, conducting research in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Edison Research is also the leading provider of consumer exit polling and has conducted face-to-face research in almost every imaginable venue. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool, conducting exit polls and collecting precinct vote returns to project and analyze results for every major U.S. presidential primary and general election.

The Top 50 Most Listened to U.S. Podcasts of 2020

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Edison Research Announces Top 50 U.S. Podcasts for 2020 by Audience Size

Edison Research, the leading podcast research organization for over 15 years, is pleased to announce the first comprehensive U.S. Top 50 podcast chart. This list ranks the 50 biggest podcasts of 2020 by audience size, based on the Podcast Consumer Tracker, the only podcast measurement service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks. Among the top shows of 2020 are as follows:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. The Daily
3. Crime Junkie
4. This American Life
5. My Favorite Murder
6. Stuff You Should Know
7. Office Ladies
8. Pod Save America
9. Planet Money
10. Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

The entire list of 50 is attached.

“We have sampled over 10,000 podcast listeners to determine who they are, what shows they listen to, what they buy, and the demographic profiles for every leading network and top podcast,” said Edison Research SVP Tom Webster. “There is no other service available for producers or agencies that provides this information for the entire industry.”

The Edison Research Top 50 Most Listened to U.S. Podcasts of 2020 list is derived from data collected continuously throughout 2020 from surveying weekly podcast consumers ages 18 and older. Participants indicate which podcasts they listened to in the past week along with a variety of demographic, psychographic, and purchase behavior information. The results are then hand-coded and analyzed to ascertain the genre, network, and sales representation for each podcast. The relative audience size of each podcast network is then calculated and expressed as the percentage of weekly podcast listeners reached by that network.

“Existing measures of downloads are important,” noted Webster. “We aren’t replacing that–but currently we have demographic data on all major networks, how they rank against each other, and credible estimates of network size calibrated by our ongoing work on The Infinite Dial® research series, which remains the most widely-used audience data in the industry. It is the only service based on actual listens, not downloads.”

Current subscribers to The Podcast Consumer Tracker include half of the top 20 networks in podcasting as well as leading technology platforms, and is growing quarterly. Subscribers include Stitcher/Midroll, NPR, Wondery, ESPN/ABC/Disney, WarnerMedia, and more. “From day one of a subscription we are able to provide leading podcast networks with the size and demographic makeup of their audience. Our dataset gets more and more robust every day, and we are immensely proud of this service we can provide to the industry,” added Webster.

For information about the Podcast Consumer Tracker, contact Edison Research SVP Tom Webster at info@edisonresearch.com.

About Edison Research
Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research on the medium for NPR, Wondery, PodcastOne, Slate, Spotify, Stitcher/Midroll, ESPN, WNYC Studios, and many more companies in the space. The company’s annual Infinite Dial® study has been the most widely-cited data in the podcasting space since 2005, and Share of Ear® from Edison Research remains the only single-source measure in America of the relative size of podcast listening compared to other audio media. In 2019, the company introduced the Podcast Consumer Tracker, a quarterly study that provides the only comprehensive data on podcast listening by network in the world. Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool for the past 17 years, conducting exit polls since 2004 and collecting real-time vote results in all 50 states to project and analyze results for every major presidential primary and general election.