While eMarketer forecasts time spent with radio to stay steady over the next several years, its projection for digital audio shows an increase of 20 minutes per day from 2019 to 2023, according to the research company's May 2021 report “US Time Spent with Media 2021.”
The report also sees average time spent daily with podcasts more than doubling from 2019 to 2023.
Digital audio – which includes all internet-based audio streaming services within an app or website, including the online streams of AM/FM stations, along with podcasts and pure play services such as Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora – surpassed terrestrial radio in average time spent daily for the first time in 2020, gaining eight minutes from 2019 to one hour and 30 minutes, compared to radio's 1:28.
eMarketer's analysis explains this increase as resulting from “consumers' audio listening habits disrupted by the loss of commuting early in the pandemic.” The forecast for 2021 shows the average adult spending one hour and 36 minutes consuming digital audio content daily, up 6.6% year-over-year vs. an 8.8% rise in 2020.
While in 2020 digital accounted for just over half of total time spent with audio, that number is predicted to move to 52.6% for 2021 and near 55% by 2023.
A key driver in time spent with digital audio are podcasts, which eMarketer's report says “have seen an unexpected spike in popularity as long-form audio engagement became easier to undertake at any given time of day during the pandemic.”
Podcasts accounted for 18.2% of that time spent during 2020, up from 14.8% in 2019. That share is expected to pass the 20% mark in 2021 and eventually the 25% level in 2023. Among podcast listeners, podcasts’ share of digital audio usage is at 36.5% this year and predicted to pass 40% by 2023.
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Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients.
Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.
