The Pop Corporation

It was always thought that the internet was the new telly, making telly relevant but kinda outdated, becoming the new radio. That makes radio what then? Then new papyrus?

Seems everyone’s been a bit hasty as there’s been a report that’s been shared that shows that people aged 18-34 are listening to more radio than they are watching live television.

A year ago, AM/FM audiences aged 18-34 surpassed that same demographic in TV, and this year, it proved it was no fluke. Radio Ink shared the details from Nielsen’s Q2 2023 Total Audience Report, and it transpires that younger people are tuning into the radio more than TV, with 81% turning the radio dials, compared to TV’s 61%.

It’s bad news for TV – amongst the age range, it’s dropped 28%, with daily viewing falling by a very surprising 56%.

This is trad. arr. television though, as of course, streaming services are doing just fine. However, with the amount of subscriptions requires to watch all the television, executives should be worried. Why would you fork out for dozens of services when you can steal it for free off the internet, or indeed, simply opt out of the noise?

Obviously, this kind of information is mainly useful for advertisers as they look toward platforms to peddle their wares on. However, it’s culturally interesting too. In the States, if you’re advertising to people’s ears, 69% of ads go to traditional radio, which knocks Spotify and Pandora into a cocked hat.

Radio, it seems, is much more resilient than people thought, and you could argue it might be something to do with the pace of it – radio is much less abrasive than the television shrieking at you every three seconds. It also allows you to do other things at the same time, and be a passive medium, compared to the box.

Either way, trad. TV is facing worrying times. Seeing as that’s where all the terrible news channels live, it’s only got itself to blame.