Canadian digital audio listening surpasses radio for first time; divergence will increase (eMarketer)

Canadian listeners chose digital audio sources slightly more than radio in 2021, for the first time. This according to eMarketer. “The switch is related to a reduction in commuting,” the company notes, “which has had a direct impact on terrestrial radio consumption.”

That might imply that radio could bounce back in a post-Covd world if commuting resumes to previous levels. Time will tell, but for now eMarketer is predicting a widening of the gap: In 2022 digital audio listeners will surpass 25-million. (See the projection HERE.) That’s an increase of 900,000 digital audio listeners.

In all this, digital audio includes streaming music, podcasts, and any other type of digital audio.

eMarketer refers back to June research projecting podcast listening in Canada through 2025. As seen in the figure below, growth is seen as robust but slowing:

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Brad Hill