New research shows podcasting and mp3 players have yet to live up to the hype, with only 16 percent of Australians aged 14+ owning an MP3 player and less than a quarter of owners saying they have ever downloaded a podcast.**
“The study dispels the myth that mp3 players spell the end of radio listening and that podcasting is a threat to radio. It shows that emerging technology is used in conjunction with, and as a complement to, existing radio technology," said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia.
“The study shows radio is important to mp3 owners – in fact they spend more time listening to commercial radio than to their mp3 players," Ms Warner said.
According to the Nielsen Media Research** study:
• 39 per cent listen to six or more hours of commercial radio per week;
• 48 per cent listen to their mp3 players for less than three hours a week;
• 58 percent are male;
• 43 percent are students;
• 72 percent are under 39 years old;
• 22 per cent have downloaded a podcast at least once;
• teenagers are more likely to own and listen to mp3 players than older people.
“At the moment, downloading podcasts is still a niche activity but one that radio stations are successfully embracing to get even closer to our loyal listeners," Ms Warner said.
“Just as radio was the first media to successfully make use of telephones, mobiles, internet, email and sms to connect directly with our audience, radio will develop podcasting into another useful tool for communicating and interacting with our listeners," Ms Warner said.