Indiantelevision.com Team

(3 November 2007 1:30 pm)

MUMBAI: The first findings of the Radio Audience Measurement (Ram) released by TAM Media Research are much more than a numbers game.

The results, a gist of which is now with Indiantelevision.com, help graph the basic radio trends of the growing FM industry in India.

For one, the data sends a wave of caution across all the three markets where the study was carried out – Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

The data reveals the differentiating factor can only be the content for stickiness. Contests can fetch listeners but only for a period, if the figures are anything to go by.

With the increase in the number of stations the market share of the top three FM stations crunches down. Bangalore, with nine stations, gives 61 per cent of the total market share to its top three stations.

In Mumbai with 10 stations, the top three stations get a lesser 54 per cent combined share of the market, while the market share for the top three stations dips down to 45 per cent in Delhi, which has a total of 11 stations.

FM listeners have maximised in the three key markets Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The average weekly reach in Mumbai is 99.5 per cent of 79 per cent of the total FM penetration in the city.

Bangalore has almost the same figures as Mumbai with 99.6 per cent average weekly reach of 82 per cent FM penetration in Bangalore. Delhi has a lower reach threshold having only 96.6 per cent average weekly reach of 90 per cent FM penetration in Delhi.

In terms of highest time spent listening to FM, Bangalore tops the chart with 1092 minutes per week. In Mumbai, it is 845 minutes per week, while in Delhi people are busier as highest time spent listening to FM is only 796 mins per week.

However in Delhi time spent on an average weekend (117 mins/day) is higher than that on an average weekday (108 mins/day). Figures clearly indicate that it is just the opposite on Bangalore where weekends do not pull many listeners, difference being much higher (160 minutes per day on weekday against 148 minutes per day).

The time spent listening to Radio in Mumbai is almost equal during an average weekday (123 mins/day) and an average weekend (122 mins/day).

Across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, data suggests that 85 per cent of radio consumption happens in-home while 15 per cent consumption happens out-of-home.

Out-of-home listening gets maximum contribution from younger age groups (12-24 years), SEC A and B males. However specifically in Bangalore, female contribution to OOH listening is higher (31 per cent ) as compared to Mumbai (26 per cent) and Delhi (20 per cent).