Search »

eMarketer: Despite Challenges, Radio May Have Bright Future

While traditional radio is losing some of its share of the media pie, with people listening to less radio as they spend more time on the web, 90 percent of Americans still tune in to traditional radio each week, according to Bridge Ratings (via Media Life).

And, though internet spending is expected to surpass spending on radio for the first time this year, a new report from eMarketer suggests that advertisers not abandon radio in favor of the web but rather “combine the two to take advantage of the unique attributes of each.”

The number of traditional radio listeners is expected to remain relatively steady, with 274 million in 2015, but the audience for internet radio - both simulcasts of traditional radio stations and internet-only stations - is expected to grow from 72 million in 2007 to 187.3 million in 2015.

Satellite radio subscribers are expected to grow to 30.0 million in 2015, from 13.6 million this year. Mobile phone audio listeners will grow from 4.1 million to 70.3 million.

“The radio-internet combination is a compelling prospect for both broadcasters and marketers alike,” wrote Ben Macklin, senior analyst and author of the report.