Digital Audio: As ad spend grows, is consumer behaviour also changing?

Posted on: Friday 14 May 2021 | IAB UK

An IAB UK/YouGov survey shows that people have been listening to digital audio more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and over a third say they will continue to do so as restrictions ease


Released last month, IAB UK’s 2020 Digital Adspend report includes digital audio for the first time, a move that reflects the growing prominence of audio within the digital landscape. The results show that the overall market grew by 17% year-on-year to a total of £103.7 million, including podcast spend which rocketed by a massive 43%. 

To understand whether consumer behaviour is changing in line with ad spend, we have conducted a consumer survey with YouGov to explore how listener behaviour has changed over the past year. 

Key findings:

  • Two thirds say they currently listen to online audio at least once a month, which is a significant increase since early March 2020
  • Frequency of listening has jumped too. Two thirds of those who listen to podcasts have done so more since Coronavirus restrictions first came into place in March 2020. Music streaming services and online radio have also seen an increase in frequency from over half of listeners
  • This increased frequency is likely to continue for many, with over a third of those listening more saying they will continue to do so
  • The consistent reasons for listening to any type of online audio more since restrictions were introduced in March 2020 are to help people relax and to keep them company

Download the full research below.

LOG IN TO DOWNLOAD

You must be a member of the IAB UK to view this content. If you are not a member you can find out more here.

Written by

IAB UK

Topics

Related content

Abstract ad spend graphics

Digital ad market grew by 15% in first half of 2022

Get the key takeouts from our H1 Digital Adspend update with PwC, showing that the digital ad market grew by 15% as the rate of growth returns to pre...

Learn more
The Podcast Show stage

The Podcast Show 2022: “Spoken word is having a huge renaissance”

Held across two days, The Podcast Show brought together over 350 speakers from the world of podcasting

Learn more
Adspend abstract graph

Digital ad spend soars 41% to hit record high in 2021

IAB UK’s Digital Adspend report for 2021, conducted with PwC, shows that the digital advertising market grew by 41% last year to a total of £23.5 billion...

Learn more
woman with headphones

Listening Britain: 33.2m listening to online audio weekly

Our downloadable infographic pulls together key findings from the latest RAJAR MIDAS data on online audio listening habits in the UK for Winter 2021

Learn more

Why digital advertising works

Discover why digital advertising is effective for reaching your customers and building brands.