Triton Digital is proud to once again partner with Edison Research and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for the 2022 Infinite Dial Study South Africa.
In case you aren’t familiar, the study explores South Africa’s digital audio and social media landscape, including preferences in online platforms and technologies.
Results from the study were recently announced through a virtual webinar presented by Edison’s President, Larry Rosin – however, there’s no need to fret if you missed it! We’re recapping the main findings below:
Media & Technology
According to this year’s study, 90% of respondents own a smart phone, falling second to only Australia, where 93% of respondents report owning a smartphone. This year’s study also found that 21% of respondents owned a smart tablet, up from 11% in 2019, and that 32% of respondents own a smart speaker, with Google Home being the most popular.
AM & FM Radio
When it comes to AM & FM radio, 69% of respondents were weekly listeners, the second lowest ahead of only the U.S., with 59%. However, 90% of respondents still own 1-3 radios in their home, a stark comparison to the 58% of U.S. respondents. The study also found that online audio is on the rise in South Africa, with 64% percent listening through a non-radio device such as a mobile phone, computer, or television -- a 20% increase from 2019.
Online Audio
The study found 61% of respondents listened to online audio within the last month, which is the same percentage of online audio listeners reported in the U.S. in 2017. Yet, this was still a significant increase when compared to 2019, when only 39% reported listening to online audio. South Africa reports the lowest percentage in terms of online audio listeners in comparison to Australia, Canada, England, and the U.S., proving there is room for growth in the market.
Podcasts
Podcasting has become increasingly popular in South Africa over the past few years. Podcast awareness alone grew to 48%, up from 22% in 2019. On top of that, 26% of respondents listened to podcasts monthly, and weekly podcast listeners averaged 4 podcast episodes per week. Since 2019, the number of podcast listeners increased by 17%.
Other key Infinite Dial South Africa findings include:
- Respondents reported listening to 6 minutes and 20 seconds of online audio in a week
- YouTube Music (69%), Spotify (36%), Joox (27%), Amazon Music (25%), were the online audio brands with the highest awareness
- However, the most listened to online audio brands were YouTube Music (45%), Spotify (18%), RadioApp (9%), and SoundCloud (8%)
- AM/FM radios (80%) were the number one audio source used in the car, followed by own music collection (54%), and CD player (44%)
- 76% of podcast listeners listened at home
- YouTube (36%) was the number one source used to listen to podcasts, followed by Player.FM (14%) and Facebook (13%)
The Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa study was conducted in November/December of 2021through high-quality phone and in person interviews with 1,500 South Africans ages 15 and over.
To view the full Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa Study, visit: https://tritondigitalv3.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Resources/Infinite-Dial-South-Africa-2022-Webinar.pdf
