Bridge Ratings analyzed the impact of wireless Internet behavior on media including traditional AM/FM radio, satellite radio and MP3 players.
“The more time spent using wireless technology to access the Internet, the less time our sample spent with traditional AM/FM radio,” it found.
In 2006, the average weekly time spent using wireless connectivity to access the Internet rose to 15 hours 45 minutes while weekly use of AM/FM radio slipped to 18 hours.
Thirty million Americans using wireless Internet access in 2006 will grow to nearly 45 million by the end of this year, Bridge stated.
Three-quarters, or 23 million, of these users of wireless Internet listen to Internet radio.
Bridge President Dave Van Dyke said, “Simulcasts of traditional radio or unique streams created by traditional radio stations continue to be a good hedge against lost listening.” He said the study confirms the importance of Internet radio solutions for traditional radio “as a means to halt or slow the attrition of listener time-spent-listening.”
