Digital radio is on the rise: 75 percent of radio listeners use digital offerings

49 million people in Germany use digital radio programs. This is three quarters of all radio listeners. The numbers come from the Audio Trends 2024 report, which state media officials presented at the Munich Media Days on Thursday. This is a special assessment of the 2024 media analysis for the audio sector published in July. In total, more than 65 million German citizens listen to linear radio – either on traditional radio or online. Three out of four of them also or exclusively use digital broadcasting via web radio or DAB+. Therefore the “net digitization rate” is 75 percent.

Advertisement

Olympic Games director harassed: wave of arrests in France

overall listen according to analysis About 10.7 million listen to the radio daily via DAB+, and just over 5 million via the internet. 59 percent of DAB+ users are male and 41 percent are female. The rates for web radio are 54 and 46 percent, respectively. Digital forms are particularly popular among young people: DAB+ has the highest usage rate among 20 to 29 year olds at 18 percent, and radio streaming has the highest usage rate among 14 to 19 year olds at 10 percent. ARD’s public radio programs and private programs are heard by approximately the same number of people for approximately the same amount of time via DAB+. Total weekly stay is 155 minutes. When it comes to web radio, ARD stations are slightly ahead, but are listened to for slightly less time than the private competition.

Use of AI: The thin line between efficiency and deception

The DAB+ listenership group can be reached by 35 percent of local households who access the radio offer within a 4-week period. Three quarters of these people have access to a related device or have already listened to web radio. A quarter of listeners with cars have a car radio that is DAB+ ready. The digital VHF successor is particularly popular in Bavaria, Saarland, Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. A third or more of people in the respective federal state have used DAB+ in the last four weeks. One in five people here listen to digital radio via DAB+ every day.

Media companies have also used Trend Radar to explore the possibilities and limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) in the audio sector using practical examples. The first fully automated, AI-controlled radio stations are already on the market and compete with traditional programs. AI-generated content like automated moderation and text-to-speech conversion will become increasingly common. But it also raises the question “where is the line between enhancing efficiency and deceiving the audience.”

Ruth Meyer, director of the Saarland State Media Authority, which is responsible for the evaluation, stressed the importance of clear guidelines: “Diversity must not suffer, the impact of AI must remain transparent, and the ultimate responsibility always lies with the people. ” Caution must be taken, especially in the sensitive journalistic field, “to prevent manipulation of the formation of public opinion.”

(mho)