Despite changes to the audio environment over the last year, 86% of Australians age 12+ are reached by radio each month, and 37% are reached by podcasting each month, according to The Infinite Dial® 2021 Australia, a comprehensive study of digital media behavior released today by Edison Research.
The Australian Infinite Dial is commissioned by major sponsor Commercial Radio Australia (CRA), as well as Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) via LiSTNR and Triton Digital®. The study was fielded in the first quarter of 2021, and reflects the current state of streaming audio, following the disruptions from the Covid-19 global pandemic. Findings were presented by Larry Rosin (, President of Edison Research) , in a webinar earlier today.
AM/FM/DAB+ live content (or catch-up podcasts) has a tremendous weekly reach of Australians age 12+ (80%), in addition to the monthly reach of 86%. This reach extends to in-car listening as well, where 84% of those who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month have listened to AM/FM/DAB+ radio.
“Australians have continued to embrace radio through this period of unprecedented disruption and are listening both live and online through multiple sources, including apps, catch-up podcasts and smart speakers,” said Commercial Radio Australia chief executive officer Joan Warner.
“We are pleased to once again partner with Edison Research, Commercial Radio Australia and Southern Cross Austereo to provide an update on Australian’s consumption of radio, streaming audio, podcasts, usage of smart speakers, and more,” said John Rosso, President of Market Development at Triton Digital. “The results of the 2021 study reinforce the continuously growing medium in the region, furthering Advertiser’s interest and confidence in the channel as an effective vehicle for reaching their target audiences at the right place and time.”
Podcasting awareness is high, with 91% of Australians reporting being aware of podcasting, significantly higher than the 78% of those in the U.S. who are familiar with podcasting. Monthly listening to podcasts by Australians is almost equal to that of those in the U.S.: 37% of Australians age 12+ are monthly podcast listeners compared with 41% of those in the U.S. The same goes for weekly podcast listening: 26% of Australians age 12+ are weekly podcast listeners compared with 28% of those in the U.S.
Australians age 12+ report spending over 12 hours per week listening to online audio. This includes listening to AM/FM/DAB+ Radio Stations online, streaming services and podcasts. In the last week, 42% have listened to Spotify, 16% to YouTube music, 8% to Apple Music, 5% to SoundCloud and 1% to Amazon Music. Listeners in Australia are more likely to listen to online audio streaming services in the car than listeners in the U.S. Thirty-nine percent of in-car listeners in Australia have listened to online streaming services compared to 31% of listeners in the U.S.
For those who listen to AM/FM/DAB+ online, there are many device choices: 46% listen through the radio station’s website, 44% listen through the radio station’s app, 38% listen through an aggregator app or website, and 23% listen through a smart speaker.
Twenty-six percent of Australians 12+ now own a smart speaker, and smart speaker owners have an average of 1.9 of these devices.
Other key Infinite Dial 2021 Australia findings include:
• 25% of Australian drivers own an in-dash system that can receive entertainment/information over the Internet
• At–home is the location most Australians have consumed a podcast: 87% percent of monthly podcast listeners have listened at home, 59% have listened in a car/truck, 51% have listened while walking around, 39% have listened while riding public transportation, 27% have listened at work, and 24% have listened at the gym or while working out.
• Australian podcast listeners listen to an average of five podcasts per week.
This marks the fifth annual release of the study in Australia, and is part of the continued expansion of The Infinite Dial®. The study is the longest running survey of digital media consumer behavior in U.S., and now includes surveys in Canada, Germany, and South Africa.
The Infinite Dial® survey, conducted in the first quarter of 2021, is a high-quality telephone survey and includes a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people. The sample is a random probability telephone sample, comprised of both mobile phones and landlines, of all Australians ages 10 and older. For comparison to the U.S. Infinite Dial, this presentation uses data for those age 12 and older. The data is weighted to 12+ population figures.
