Digital radio creates demand rises through podcasts

Radio listening has been buoyed by the popularity of digital services, latest figures show.

Figures from Rajar, the industry audience research body, show that while 14.5 million listeners 'tune in' to a podcast at least once a week, an impressive nine million listeners make a habit of downloading their podcasts weekly.

Crucially perhaps, three-quarters of respondents that use the podcast services said that listening to online broadcasts did not cut the amount of hours they spent listening to traditional radio broadcasts.

With numbers up 2.5 million since a similar survey was conducted by Ipsos Mori in October and November last year, it was found that there is an almost even split as to where people listen to their podcasts, with 79 per cent of listeners choosing their home computer to play podcasts on, while 66 per cent listened to them on their MP3 players.

The news is positive to all levels of staff in the radio industry, as it shows how much marketing potential there is connected to the high number of listeners.

There is also the added option of charging for podcast downloads, which has already proven successful for Ricky Gervais' weekly radio show, which charged £1 per download after successfully winning audiences with free shows.

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