People aged between 25 and 54 spend nearly eight hours listening each week, according to the report.
New data for Q1 2020 from Nielsen ’s UAE Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) service reveals that 7.82m persons listen to radio weekly. People between the ages of 45 and 54 spend the most time with seven hours and 46 minutes listening while 25 to 34-year-old spend seven hours and 44 minutes weekly.
The Q1 2020 survey period continues to report high radio reach from persons 10 plus in the UAE. Reach during this quarter was at 92% with over 57m hours of weekly radio listening taking place.
Of important note this quarter is the increase in listening via a mobile device at 35% (growing from 34% in Q419) which accounts for 2.9m of the weekly listeners. Study participants indicating listening to radio via the internet has also improved some to 8%, up from 7% in Q419.
The remaining radio listening takes place via the AM/FM radio. While the overwhelming majority of the RAM Q120 study was fielded prior to restrictions put in place throughout the UAE to keep the country safe during the health crisis, these digital increases may point toward alternate ways listeners continued to engage with radio during the crisis.
“We really see once again the true strength in radio in the UAE with the Q1 2020 data release,” commented Sarah Messer, Nielsen Director of Media for MENAP. “Although movement restrictions were originally announced towards the end of March, homeschooling was already in place and many people had already curtailed their time outside. To see that despite the external environment, radio maintains such universal levels of reach and listenership across Emirates and nationalities, is a testament to the strength of radio in the country. It’s interesting to see that the time of day of listening changed slightly in Q1 compared to the other quarters, suggesting listeners shifted their habits to accommodate their different home-based routine.”
