In a study commissioned by Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI) in the top six metros, across a sample size of 3300 people among 18+ UA population, 82% people have been tuning in to radio during COVID-19, with FM channels emerging as the second most credible source of information for the masses.
As per the research, radio has a credibility score of 6.27, second only to the internet which is at 6.44 and TV at 5.74.
In fact, the radio industry witnessed a listenership of 51 million people, which is nearly as much as television's reach of 56 million and social media's reach of 57 million. A few more noteworthy highlights of the research include radio's at home listenership which has increased by 22% and has grown from 64% to 86%. The time that people spend listening to radio has increased by 23% to 2.36 hours everyday during the lockdown, second only to television.
According to Anuradha Prasad, President of the Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI): “It is very encouraging to note that Radio is evolving as one of the most preferred and most credible source of infotainment. We are now almost catching up on TV in terms of audience, the rise of 23 percent in total time spent per person on radio is phenomenal.”
Sharing his thoughts about the study, Abraham Thomas, CEO, Big FM, said: “The findings are in line with our expectations as we have been witnessing a sizeable increase in the response and engagement levels to our content since the outbreak of this crises. Radio has led by example during this time and the feeling of knowing that you're making a difference in the lives of our listeners is truly amazing. The high levels of trust on radio, high in-home listening and high listening on mobile habits have driven this surge in time spent and reach.”
Commenting on these findings, Ashit Kukian, CEO, Radio City, said: “Since its inception, radio has maintained its widespread reach and due to its ease of accessibility, it has turned out to be one of the most accessed mediums. With these latest findings, it yet again proves that radio is one of those mediums which has the power to create awareness on local and national issues.”
Harshad Jain, CEO – Radio and Entertainment, HT Media Ltd and Next Mediaworks Ltd. Said: “As the COVID-19 pandemic takes over the world, the role of entertainment mediums become all the more crucial. Radio being a critical medium has the dual responsibility of not only entertaining the listeners, but also ensuring that correct and genuine information reaches the country's citizens. At a time like this, the power and effectiveness of our medium increases manifold. People are now tuning in to the radio sets more than ever for their daily entertainment needs and also to stay updated with credible information. With the entire country under lockdown, the listenership has shifted to in-home listening.”
Commenting on the findings, Prashant Pandey, MD & CEO, ENIL, said: “I'm happy to note that as per the AROI research, radio listenership has grown strongly during the lockdown period. This is not surprising considering the amount of very useful information radio is giving on a daily basis. Radio is a strong medium for advertisers to use effectively now and always.”
Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO, Red FM and Magic FM, said: “Radio has been playing a much bigger role, it has been able to unite the linguistic and ethnic diversity and connect people from all backgrounds with its numerous arrays of frequency. Radio offers last mile connectivity and the latest findings have proved once again that it's a powerful and trusted medium to deliver messages to the audience.”