Digital radio on the rise: 75 percent of radio listeners use digital services

49 million people in Germany use digital radio stations. That is three quarters of all radio listeners. The figure comes from the Audio Trends 2024 report presented by the state media authorities at the Munich Media Days on Thursday. This is a special evaluation of the Media Analysis 2024 on the audio sector published in July. According to the analysis, more than 65 million Germans listen to linear radio – either on a traditional radio set or online. Three out of four of them also or only use digital broadcasts via web radio or DAB+. The "net digitization rate" is therefore 75 percent.

According to the analysis, a total of around 10.7 million listen to the radio via DAB+ every day and just over 5 million via the internet. 59% of DAB+ users are male and 41% female. The figures for web radio are 54% and 46% respectively. The digital forms are particularly popular with younger people: The usage rate for DAB+ is highest among 20- to 29-year-olds at 18 percent, and for radio streaming at 10 percent among 14- to 19-year-olds. Almost as many people listen to ARD's public radio stations and private stations via DAB+ for a similar amount of time. The total weekly listening time is 155 minutes. In the case of web radio, ARD stations are slightly ahead, but are listened to for slightly less time than the private competition.

Use of AI: thin line between efficiency and deception

DAB+ can be received by 35% of the households in the listener group in Germany that access a radio station within a four-week period. Three quarters of these people have access to a corresponding device or have already listened to web radio. A quarter of listeners with a car have a car radio that is set up for DAB+. The digital FM successor is particularly popular in Bavaria, Saarland, Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. A third or more of people in the respective federal state have used DAB+ in the past four weeks. Around one in five people here listen to digital radio via DAB+ every day.

With the Trend Radar, the media authorities also explored the possibilities and limits of artificial intelligence (AI) in the audio sector using practical examples. The first fully automated, AI-controlled radio stations are already on the market and are competing with conventional programs. AI-generated content such as automated moderation and text-to-speech conversions are becoming increasingly widespread. However, this also raises the question of "where the line is drawn between increasing efficiency and deceiving the audience".

Ruth Meyer, the director of the Saarland State Media Authority responsible for evaluation, emphasized the importance of clear guidelines: "Diversity must not suffer, the influence of AI must remain transparent, and the ultimate responsibility always lies with people." Precautions must be taken, especially in the sensitive area of journalism, "to prevent the manipulation of public opinion".

(nie)