Interactive planning tool lets advertisers compare reach of commercial audio

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the annual Infinite Dial study is the authoritative report that explores the broadcast and digital audio that Australians are consuming, and the devices they are using when listening, reports Commercial Radio Australia.

For the first time, to enable media buyers to better understand the behaviour shift of audio listeners in 2020, Edison Research has conducted a deeper dive into two of the key players operating in the Australian market; free-to-air commercial radio and Spotify’s free subscription service.

The three sponsors of the study, including PodcastOne (a subsidiary of Southern Cross Austereo), Triton Digital and Commercial Radio Australia have used the latest data to develop a simple interactive online tool, making it quick and easy for media buyers to accurately compare the reach of commercial radio and Spotify free by age, gender and location, whilst also looking at any overlap in audiences. This will help media buyers to make informed decisions about where to direct budget based on a campaign’s target demographic.

The results highlight that commercial radio delivers superior reach and access to exclusive audiences.

Commercial radio reaches more than 14.5 million Australians aged 14+ each week, 11.2 million more listeners than Spotify's free service.

Commercial radio reaches more than four times as many people as Spotify’s free service each week. 57% of Australians listen to commercial radio, compared with 13% for Spotify’s free service. Although music discovery is a driver of listening for some of commercial radio’s audience, the strong connection with radio talent is also a drawcard, as is the live and local content, including news, traffic, promotions, activations, station events and active listener engagement.

Commercial radio is the platform with the largest exclusive audience

Commercial radio reaches the majority (59%) of Spotify free listeners each week. For media buyers looking to maximise reach and reduce audience overlap, commercial radio is the obvious choice. Advertisers who use Spotify are tapping into only 14% of commercial radio’s mass audience, resulting in a missed opportunity to reach 12.5 million commercial radio listeners.

Read The Infinite Dial 2020 Australia report here.