More Australians than ever are using online audio services, and consuming audio online for more than eleven hours per week. These are two of the many findings from The Infinite Dial 2019 Australia, a comprehensive study of digital media behavior in Australia, released today by Edison Research, the leading provider of high-quality survey research about audio in the U.S. and worldwide.
The Australian Infinite Dial Study was commissioned by Commercial Radio Australia (CRA), Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) via their PodcastOne subsidiary, and Triton Digital, the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry. This marks the third annual release of the study in Australia, and the continued expansion of The Infinite Dial, the longest running survey of digital media consumer behavior in U.S. The survey is a high-quality telephone survey of all Australians ages 12 and over, designed to represent the nation’s population. The results were first made public at the Mumbrella Audioland conference in Sydney on May 2, 2019 in a keynote speech by Edison president Larry Rosin.
Many streaming services saw significant year-over-year growth in awareness of their brands in Australia. This year’s survey shows that 85% of Australians are now aware of Spotify, compared to 77% in 2018, and 83% are aware of Apple Music, up from 75% in 2018. In addition, the study found that Amazon Music and Google Play are also widely known and that SoundCloud posted awareness from 42% of Australians.
In addition to those who have used online audio in the last week, time spent listening to audio online has increased once again, with Australians averaging 11 hours and 9 minutes per week, compared to that of 2018 where the average time spent listening to online audio was 10 hours and 4 minutes.
The 2019 study found that podcasting popularity in Australia continues to outpace the United States, as 83% of Australians are aware of podcasting compared to 70% of Americans, up from 78% of Australians in 2018. In addition, Australians who have listened to a podcast in the last month grew from 18% to 22% in 2019.
Smart speaker ownership has more than doubled since last year, with 13% of Australians age 12+ now owning one of these devices, up from 5% in 2018.
“The study shows that audio in Australia is the same kind of dynamic space we see in America,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin. “Australian radio retains a large audience while streaming and podcasting continue to grow and new devices create new opportunities.”
Other key Infinite Dial Australia findings include:
The Infinite Dial 2019 Australia study was conducted in the first quarter of 2019 and uses a nationally representative survey of 1,021 people. The sample is a random probability telephone sample, comprising of both mobile phones and landlines, of all Australians ages 12 and older. The data is weighted to 12+ population figures.
Click here for the full Infinite Dial 2019 Australia report.
To learn more about the podcast landscape in Australia, download our free 2019 Australia Podcasting Data Kit for a wealth of information on podcast consumption and trends from the Infinite Dial 2019 Australia.
To learn more about the audio landscape in Australia, download our free 2019 Audio Data Kit for a wealth of information on digital audio consumption and trends from the Infinite Dial 2019 Australia.