The results of the “Online Audio Monitor Austria 2024” were recently presented in Vienna. The study was commissioned by RTR Medien for the second time by Ipsos Austria and presented by Alexander Zeh, Ipsos Country Manager. The study provides, among other things, insights into the type and frequency of use of online audio offerings, preferred content and platforms, receiving devices and usage situations.
The conclusion: The vast majority of Austrians use online audio offerings at least now and then; compared to the previous year, this usage is stable and trending upward. “These stable numbers run like a common thread through the study and once again confirm the results from last year,” emphasized Alexander Zeh at the presentation.
Most popular on demand
According to this, 91% of Austrians with internet access use offers such as music streaming, web radios, podcasts, audio books and radio plays or radio programs to listen to and other online listening offers. For 50% of Internet users, online audio content is a daily or almost daily part of their audio consumption. On-demand offerings such as YouTube or Spotify are used most frequently at 86%, of which 81% of those surveyed use music streaming, followed by 40% who listen to podcasts and radio shows. However, 78% of all respondents use linear Internet radio programs. “What is exciting is not only the high level of popularity of 78 percent of those surveyed for web radios, but also that 51 percent of them use the websites or apps of the respective radio broadcasters directly,” says Wolfgang Struber, Managing Director of RTR Medien. “And with a share of 60 percent, radio stations are most often listened to online and are also broadcast as radio offers via FM or DAB+.”
Two focal points
The Online Audio Monitor is dedicated to two main areas: firstly, the use of AI in audio production and secondly, “radio shows for listening and podcasts”. “There has been a positive development in podcasts compared to the previous year; we see room for growth here, especially among the older generation,” says Zeh.
Against the background of the AI service point set up at RTR, the study also asked about the acceptance of audio content generated by artificial intelligence. Accordingly, a majority of 53% of those surveyed agree if the relevant content is marked with a reference to the use of AI. AI-generated music programs are most likely to be accepted (41%), much less likely to be AI-generated information and news (23%) or voices of well-known people (16%). “The study shows us that there are very divided opinions when it comes to AI,” emphasizes Alexander Zeh. “On the one hand, around 50 percent say that they think AI is okay, but on the other hand, around 50 percent of those surveyed also fear AI.”
YouTube & Spotify in front
In the area of audio streaming, Google platforms such as YouTube lead the ranking of the most used platforms with 59%. Spotify has gained significantly compared to the previous year in second place with an increase of five percentage points to 40%, Amazon offers are used by 33% of those surveyed. The most used receiving device for online audio content is the smartphone with 65% of the mentions. Smart TVs and laptops follow with 37% and 35% respectively, WiFi radios with 33%, and smart speakers make up 28% of the mentions.
