In 2021, data driven insights will be an even more powerful arbiter of how brands make media spend decisions this year and beyond. With that in mind the recent JNLR figures (released in February) make for fascinating reading. Here are the key points:

 

• 2 million people in Ireland now listen to radio each weekday – 81% of the 15+ population.

 

• The number of adults listening to radio (81%) is second only to TV viewing (85%) and significantly greater than those engaged with social media (53%), viewing video on demand services such as Netflix (28%) or listening to music on Spotify (15%)

 

Other key statistics from the report:

 

• 20% of all adults have downloaded a radio station app to their smart device.

 

• Irish people own multiple devices enabling access to radio at home or on the move. 91% own a car radio, 89% own an FM radio, 77% have radio on their TV, 77% have access to radio on their mobile phone, 70% on their PC or laptop and 32% say they can access on a smart speaker.

 

• Irish audiences spend a total of 13.3 million hours listening to Irish radio each weekday, equating to 4 hours 16 minutes per listener, per day.

 

• 12.5 million hours are spent listening via FM each weekday, while audiences listen on digital devices for almost 0.8 million hours. This represents 5.9% of all time spent listening and among 15-24s, the proportion stands at 17.2%

 

Nicola Murphy, Head of Brand Development, IRS+ said: “These strong performance figures achieved by radio reflect the influence of a medium that is viewed as trusted, entertaining and distracting nationally and locally. Our new IGNITE products offers brands ready-to-go packages that provide them with an immediate gateway to local communities and their €60 billion “purse”.