An audience survey carried out by ratings company Ipsos between mid-September and end October 2020 revealed that reduced mobility and mandatory work-from-home stipulations resulted in a decrease of average radio listening time at work and in cars but an increase in listening from home. For the study, Ipsos made 2,000 Dutch-language telephone interviews in the Flanders region of Belgium with those over the age of 12.
According to the results, listening to radio in cars dropped some 21% in comparison to the same period in 2019, while tuning in to radio at work went down by 32 %. Meanwhile, average in-home listening time (teleworkers or those technically unemployed due to COVID-19), saw an increase of 36%.
The study found the total average YTD radio listening volume remained stable, with a small growth of nine minutes in comparison with the previous ratings measurement.
It also unveiled a considerable increase in listening to digital sources at home, such as DAB+, streaming and audio via a digital TV decoder. DAB+ accounts for 25% of listening in cars, with FM continuing to be omnipresent.
“Radio presumably has not suffered from the health crisis and this study hints to the fact that more stringent lockdown measures would have no negative impact on radio listening,” commented media agency Space.
