Streaming study

What Austrians can listen to online

For the Online Audio Monitor, 4,000 people aged 15 and over were surveyed online by market research institute Ipsos from the end of May to mid-June.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Nine out of ten Austrians use online audio services at least infrequently. This means that usage remained stable compared to the previous year, according to RTR's Online Audio Monitor 2024. Podcasts and the music streaming platform Spotify made gains, while Amazon Music lost ground.

The services are often used while doing housework (52%) and in the car (55%). The peak time is between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., with audiobooks only really picking up speed after 8 p.m.

For the Online Audio Monitor, 4000 people aged 15 and over were surveyed online by the market research institute Ipsos from the end of May to mid-June. There were hardly any major shifts compared to the previous year. In addition to at least infrequent use (91%), the number of at least monthly (81%), weekly (71%) and almost daily users (50%) remained largely stable. At least occasionally, 86% of respondents use audio-on-demand services. This is followed by music streaming (81%), podcasts and radio programs to listen to (40%) and audio books or radio plays (27%).

Podcasts increasingly popular
Podcasts in particular recorded growth. For example, 48% (2023: 43%) of 15 to 29-year-olds listen to a podcast at least once a month. Among 30 to 49-year-olds, the figure is 38% (2023: 35%). For almost 40% of podcast users, they are a very important or even the most important source of information on current affairs, with the younger the respondents, the more important podcasts are considered to be for their own information consumption.

In terms of music streaming platforms used at least occasionally, YouTube remained largely stable at the top with 72%. Spotify increased by four percentage points to 48%. Amazon Music, on the other hand, lost three percentage points and came in at 32%. Apple Music follows at a respectful distance (11%).

27% of respondents have already had contact with audio content generated using artificial intelligence (AI). Four out of ten find AI music programs and AI playlists okay. 35 percent feel the same way about audio books read aloud by AI and AI-generated weather forecasts or traffic reports. Acceptance is significantly lower (16 percent) for AI-generated voices of well-known presenters or people.