Weekly Online Radio Usage Jumps to 42 Million

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

17% of Americans ages 12 or over listened to online radio in the past week, or about 42 million people, according to the latest in a series of studies conducted by Arbitron and Edison Research. The size of the weekly online radio audience has more than doubled since 2005, when the weekly online radio audience was estimated to be 20 million.

On a weekly basis, online radio reaches 20% of 25-to-54 year-olds; up from 15% in 2008. Monthly online listeners are up to 69 million, or roughly 27% of the U.S. population. However, nearly half of the population, or 125 million, have never listened to online radio.

The survey, conducted between January 16 and February 15, also found that AM/FM radio continues to have a big impact on people's lives. The study asked consumers to rate the impact different digital audio platforms has on their lives. More than one in five radio listeners (21%) say it has a big impact on their lives; ranking second only to owners of the Apple iPhone in particular (23%) and cell phone owners in general (47%) as the audio platform/device that has a big impact on people's lives.

Online radio listeners are more likely to be upscale, well-educated and employed full time; 54% of weekly online radio listeners are employed fulltime (compared to 43% among persons 12 and older); 16% of weekly online radio listeners live in homes with an annual income greater than $100,000 (vs. 10% among persons 12 and older); 37% of weekly online radio listeners have a college degree or higher education level (vs. 29% among persons 12 and older).

One-third (34%) of persons age 12 and older report having a profile on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or any other social networking web site, up from 24% in 2008; This figure is substantially greater among young adults. Nearly two-thirds of teens age 12-to-17 (63%) and 18-to-24 year-olds (64%) report having a profile on these social networking sites.

iPod/portable MP3 player ownership continues to grow dramatically. More than four in ten (42%) persons age 12 and older own an iPod or other brand of portable MP3 player; up from 37% in 2008 and three times the number in 2005 (14%). Nearly two-thirds (64%) of 18-to-24 year-olds own a digital audio player.

While only 14% of persons age 12 and older say they are spending less time with over-the-air radio specifically due to time spent with iPods and other portable MP3 players, digital audio players have greater impact on radio among 12-to-24 year-olds. 32% of teens age 12-to-17 and persons 18-to-24 say they are spending less time with over-the-air radio specifically due to time spent with iPod/other portable MP3 players; this is nearly twice as many 18-to-24 year-olds who reported spending less time with over-the-air radio as 2008.