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Survey Surprises With Superb Statistics for Subscription Services

Hometown audio stream is another big winner divined from annual survey

When Jacobs Media rolled out TechSurvey 2021, part of what it revealed was which aspects of media usage had been affected by COVID-19, and how. Their research suggests that hometown station listening is up, and that streaming video, internet use, social media and music streaming is also on the rise. All of these trends were well underway before COVID, but the social and economic upheaval of the past 13 months seems to have amped up the rate of change.

Jacobs Media, TechSurvey 2021, radio listenership, radio listenership data

Almost half of the respondents reported watching streaming video daily, and weekly usage is now more than three in four. Since TS 2017, according to the survey, the weekly numbers have increased ten percentage points from 66–76%. Most of the users were in the Gen Z and Millennial groups, who are tied with 93%.

[Read: Amidst Social and Economic Upheaval, Radio Continues to Flourish]

 

Jacobs Media, TechSurvey 2021, radio listenership, radio listenership data

Half of those surveyed said they listened to streaming audio daily. Weekly usage is also on an uptick, and, no surprise, the numbers skew up towards the younger demographic. As with streaming video, streaming audio has also seen a ten percentage point uptick since TS 2017, increasing from 58–68%.

Jacobs Media, TechSurvey 2021, radio listenership, radio listenership data

The research turned up another bright spot for broadcasters. It says those who listened to streaming audio regularly, tuned inmost to the hometown stream, with 68%, far ahead of Pandora, with 27%; other radio station streams, with 26% and YouTube, holding 25%.

Several years ago, many broadcasters and groups invested heavily in more robust streaming technology. At the time, it was a bit of a gamble, as on-air listeners still outnumbered online listeners. Now, that gamble seems to have paid off.

Jacobs Media, TechSurvey 2021, radio listenership, radio listenership data

In the surprise category are the numbers on paid audio and video streaming services. Seventy percent of video users are paying for two or more services, while just 27% pay for two or more audio services. These numbers are startling because some industry analysts predicted a sharp decline in subscription services due to a floundering economy and job loss.

Jacobs Media, TechSurvey 2021, radio listenership, radio listenership data

All of that being said, over 60% of those polled say subscription costs for audio and video services are a concern.

 

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