James Cridland

RAJAR’s MIDAS study, and a look ahead to Radiodays

Me at Radiodays 2025

In the UK, RAJAR has published its MIDAS survey for Q4/2024. This study should be required reading for anyone interested in audio consumption. Podcasts got the highest weekly reach figure yet (26% of all British adults) and are most consumed by those aged 35-54, where they enjoy a 35% reach. However, podcasts still only account for 9% of total time spent listening to audio (including “catch up radio”); live radio (still!) is listened-to more than 7 times longer.

Time spent listening to podcasts is very interesting to me, and I can’t really see how that’s doing. Yes, podcasts have increased in share of total time spent listening; but so has the reach of podcasts, too. In any case, RAJAR says that the total number of weekly hours listening to audio overall has increased by 16% since Winter 2019. (The 15+ UK population increased 10.4%, incidentally, so it is a real increase.)

I’m fascinated at these numbers every quarter. Always fascinating work.

Talking about fascinated by numbers - The Infinite Dial 2025 from Edison Research is being revealed in a webinar on Mar 20. which contains even more helpful and useful numbers from the US market. I’ll be watching - I have no choice, since I’ll be presenting it as well! Please join Megan Lazovick and I, as a special two-days-after-my-birthday treat. It’s free to sign up. I’ll see you then!

RCS

I’m really looking forward to Radiodays Europe next week. Some times for your diary…

  • Monday, 4.05pm to 4.45pm, track 3: The audio landscape of the future: What are the big trends in audio consumption right now? How is audio production changing? How is it being monetised? What does it mean for radio - and for podcasting? Is our audience changing the way they listen - and, if so, how should we change to meet them? The world’s only radio futurologist, James Cridland, looks at the available data to uncover the likely path of radio, and audio, in the future.

(This is very much a look at the unique selling points of radio and audio, and what we should be doing to maximise them. Expect some data, yes, but also some good examples of where we might be going.)

  • Tuesday, 1.45pm to 2.30pm, track 3: Radio Station Marketing - Hits and Misses. As marketing budgets grow smaller, it’s never been more important to ensure the marketing for your radio station is focused and effective: whether it’s TV spots, social media, or even promotional items. In this session, the radio futurologist James Cridland - who was formerly an advertising copywriter - shares some of his favourite radio station marketing with the international audio consultant Francis Currie, and Executive Creative Director at McCann, Aleka Papadia. Discover the hits - and the misses - from the point of view of an award-winning creative and a successful radio programmer, and gain new insights into how to grow your audience.

(I’ve always wanted to do this session, and I’m really looking forward to it after finally convincing the Radiodays folks to do it. It says that I’m showing some of my favourite marketing - but favourites don’t always mean that they’re any good: I’ve got one shocker of a waste of money to show off. Let’s hope nobody responsible for it is in the room.)

(Obviously I’ve written both of these by now.)

  • Global’s CEO Stephen Miron is stepping back from his role this month, after 16 years in charge. The Media Leader interviewed him at the end of last year. Worth a listen: Global is an awe-inspiring company with a lot to teach the rest of the media.

  • The BBC has confirmed that BBC Sounds is to close to international users “this spring” (any time from now to end May). “UK users who go on holiday (outside the UK)  for a short period of time  will still be able to use the BBC Sounds app  abroad.” says the press release, intriguingly. That suggests that all BBC domestic radio will no longer be available to international listeners, except BBC Radio 4, and BBC World Service, both of which exist on the new BBC Audio international product.

    • On the BBC(dotcom) website, “Audio” is now a top-level navigation, which is excellent, and it also gains a rail on the front page, too. Good to see the BBC’s audio, finally, being given much more prominence.

  • You might have heard that Now And Then, the Beatles track that came out last year, was “made with AI”. There’s a really nice explainer about how they used AI to make it, from none other than Giles Martin, on YouTube. I regularly give live demos of AI tools for radio and podcast creators, and many of them are not generative AI (making new stuff) but are the AI tools like the ones Giles shows off. It’s really good to see such a clear explanation.

  • In Australia, to follow up from SCA’s redundancies last week, ARN has announced a $40mn cost-cutting exercise over the next three years. Its Australian radio business was flat last year; the company also owns an OOH advertising company in Hong Kong which has done well. (Fun fact - ARN used to own an OOH company in Australia, as well as street furniture company Adshel. What might have been…).

Want to supercharge your radio show? Here’s a £1 week-long trial of Show Prep - from a world class radio consultant and the best show-prep writer in the UK. Great for UK stations, or for English-language stations everywhere, too. (ad)

Where I am speaking next

Supporters

Thank you to the supporters below, plus Greg Strassell, Sam Phelps, Richard Hilton, Emma Gibbs, Jocelyn Abbey and James Masterton for being regular supporters.

If you’d like to support my work in any way, you can BuyMeACoffee - become a member to give regularly or just give a one-off coffee, or five. Here’s where to do that. Or, alternately, here’s a way direct with Stripe.

I’m on Bluesky as @james.crid.land or on Mastodon as @james@bne.social

My website has more detail about who I am, and what I do, and whether I can help you further.

My newsletter is supported by:

Radioszene: Ausgewählte Newsletter auf Deutsch

Previously...

Next...