According to the Infinite Dial Australia 2022, Australia has officially overtaken the US as the biggest podcast-listening nation on the planet, with the number of people who listened to a podcast in the last month growing to 40%, up from 37% year on year. Compare that to the US, where 38% listened in the same time frame.
The study found podcast listeners are deeply engaged, listening to an average of seven episodes in the last week. One-quarter of all 12+ podcast listeners said they had listened to between six to ten podcasts within the last week. The average time spent listening to podcasts surged to an all-time high of seven hours and six minutes per week, up from five hours in 2021. On a monthly level, podcast listening has risen to new heights at 40%.
The study confirms that online audio is growing strongly in Australia, with 78% listening monthly. When understanding how people listen, radio station smartphone apps overtook station websites as the top source used to listen to radio online. The study also found half of those who listen to audio online use an app, up from 44% previously. Just under half (44%) of people listened via a station website and 24% used a smart speaker.
A sizable 28% of the Australian population, or 6.1 million people, now own a smart speaker, with room to grow to reach the US where penetration is at 35%. Google Nest is the leading brand in Australia at 23%, while 5% own an Amazon Alexa device and 2% own an Apple HomePod. Those who have adopted the technology own an average of two devices.
Of those that do own a smart speaker, 59% agree that they are listening to more audio since they got their speaker. That’s slightly ahead of the US, where 55% agree they’re listening more since purchasing their speaker.
The most common request given to a smart speaker is to play audio, including radio streaming, catch-up radio, podcasts, and music streaming. The second-most popular request is to get information, followed by utilities such as alarm, calendar, and to-do list.
Radio – both live and on-demand – remains the most popular audio platform in 2022. The survey revealed that 80% of Australians listen to live radio or catch-up radio podcasts over the last week, holding steady with the statistics from 2021. Radio has remained the top audio source in cars, with 80% of Australians listening in cars in the last month.
The average time spent listening to online audio has increased to 13 hours and 31 minutes per week, up from 12 hours and 11 minutes a year ago. Almost three-quarters (71%) of Australians listen to online audio weekly, up from 66% in 2021.
The Infinite Dial Australia 2022 study explores the penetration of online digital audio in Australia and is based on the Infinite Dial US report, the longest-running survey of digital media consumer behaviour in America. The research is sponsored by CRA, LiSTNR (SCA) and Triton Digital.
The sixth annual Infinite Dial Australia survey was conducted by Edison Research for the first quarter of 2022, using a nationally representative sample of 1,001 Australians aged 12+ in metropolitan and regional Australia. This is the sixth annual Infinite Dial Australia report since its debut in 2017, and is designed to allow for direct comparisons between the Australian and US markets.
The data shows that digital audio is not just taking root, but booming in Australia, says Jo Dick, CCO, CRA. “The study has consistently found that Australia is a hugely audio-obsessed nation, and this year has proven that fact more than ever,” she said.
“The key drivers of growth across the board include the widespread ownership of smart speakers, of which Australia is highly prolific. Connected cars, the regular use of radio apps, and an above-average proliferation of brilliant Australian podcasts also help to explain why Australia is outpacing the rest of the world when it comes to audio,” she said.
To read more in-depth insights from the Infinite Dial Australia 2022 study, click here.