The Infinite Dial® 2022 South Africa Shows Dramatic Growth in Online Audio and Podcast Listening

61% of the South African Major Metro population age 15 and older have listened to online audio in the last month, and 26% have listened to a podcast in the last month, according to The Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa, which shows dramatic increases from the prior survey in 2019.

The Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa, the second iteration of the report, was commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters South Africa (NAB), sponsored by Triton Digital^®, and produced in association with The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC).

The study explores digital audio, mobile, smart speaker ownership, podcast consumption, and social media usage among South Africans age 15+ living within the major metro commercial areas, covering the upper two of the three SEM Supergroups (or upper three of the five SEM Clusters) in the eight largest metro areas of South Africa.

Monthly online listening grew to 61% of the surveyed 15+ population compared with 39% of the surveyed 15+ population in the 2019 Infinite Dial South Africa, an increase of 56%. Monthly podcast listening was up 26% of the surveyed population compared with 10% of the population in the prior study. “While the pandemic may have accelerated these trends, the digital listening data still provides advertisers and media agencies with a rich research additive to traditional radio listening,” said the BRC’s CEO, Gary Whitaker.

Even as consumption of online audio and podcasts continues to grow, listening to radio remains strong. Sixty-nine percent of the surveyed 15+ population are weekly radio listeners, consistent with 68% from the prior survey. Traditional radio ownership is still very high as 94% of the surveyed 15+ population own at least one radio. Radio listening at home has also expanded to non-radio devices as 64% of the surveyed 15+ population reporting listening to radio at home on a non-radio device – an increase from 44% in the prior survey.

Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research, shared findings from the study in an online presentation. Rosin added, “The increase in online audio consumption and podcast listening among those we surveyed in South Africa points to a space that can accommodate many audio platforms while radio stays strong. We hope this data that shows robust growth in audio consumption motivates advertisers to consider all of these various audiences.”

Other highlights from the study include:

• 90% of the major metro population age 15+ own a smartphone
• 32% of the major metro population age 15+ own a smart speaker
• 80% of the major metro population age 15+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month currently use AM/FM radio in-car
• Weekly podcast listeners consume an average of four episodes per week

Click here to download The Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa!

How the Study was Conducted
In November/December 2021, Edison Research conducted in-person interviews with a total of 1,500 persons aged 15 and older. All respondents are in the upper two of the three SEM Supergroups (or upper three of the five SEM Clusters) and live within the following eight major metropolitan municipalities in South Africa: Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung, City of Johannesburg, eThekwini, City of Cape Town, Buffalo City, City of Tshwane, and City of Ekurhuleni. The data was weighted to reflect the gender, age, and race of this population.

About The Infinite Dial
The Infinite Dial is the longest-running survey of digital media consumer behavior in America, created by Edison Research and tracked annually since 1998. The Infinite Dial study has been conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, and South Africa.

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The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa DNA

The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC), established in 2015, chief role is to commission and oversee the delivery of radio and television audience measurement research for broadcasters and the advertising and marketing industry.

The National Association of Broadcasters, SA

The NAB is an industry association that that was formed in 1993 to advance the needs and interests of the regulated broadcasting sector in South Africa. Its members comprise public, community and commercial broadcasters as well as industry associates. It engages regularly with policy makers and regulators, and its members established the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) and the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC). www.nab.org.za