SOMERVILLE, N.J.�The Infinite Dial 2015, the latest in a series of studies on consumer adoption of digital media, was on released March 4. This newnational surveyfromEdison Researchand�Triton Digital�found that 53 percent of Americans age 12 and older listen toonline radio monthly and 44 percent, or 119 million people, listen on a weekly basis.
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The study is the 23rd in a series dating back to 1998.� Using Random Digit Dial sampling, a total of 2,002 persons (including 900 via cell phone) were interviewed between Jan. 6�and Feb. 10, 2015, to explore Americans� use of digital platforms and new media.� Respondents are age 12 and older.�
Among the more interesting findings:
- More than seven in ten (71 percent) now own a smartphone, an increase of ten percentage points from the 2014 report.
- Pandora is the leading Internet-only audio service. More than half (54 percent) of Internet audio users say that Pandora is the service they listen to most often followed by iHeartRadio (11 percent), Spotify (10 percent), and iTunes Radio (8 percent).
- Podcasting is on the rise, as monthly audio podcast consumption grew from approximately 39 million monthly users in 2014 to approximately 46 million in 2015.
- The majority of Americans (57 percent) say that technological change over the last ten years has had a positive impact on society; while only 15 percent say that it has had a negative impact.
- Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of all users and nine-in-ten 12 to 24 year-olds have used YouTube to watch music videos or listen to music.
�Media consumption habits have changed dramatically in the past five years,� noted Tom Webster, Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Edison Research. �Online Radio has become main-stream, Podcasts are enjoyed by a significant portion of the population, and even the social media platforms that dominated five years ago have shifted.�
�Perhaps the most significant finding from this year�s report is the change in frequency of use for streaming audio,� said John Rosso, President, Market Development, Triton Digital. �For years Americans have been occasional listeners, but for the first time it�s apparent that streaming audio has become an ingrained part of our lives as the number of Americans listening weekly is now 44 percent. �This is a huge opportunity for publishers and marketers to better identify and target their listeners to maximize ad-based revenue.�
