Platform Diving Meets Reality, Not A Splash

Michael Hedges November 21, 2019 Follow on Twitter

Platforms matter more and more for radio broadcasting. Listeners arrive on many paths, now including streaming and podcasts. The basics, however, cannot be ignored. Listeners like surprises, except when they don’t, and will not accept being neglected. Once they turn away, they won’t come back.

French measurement institute Médiamétrie released this week national radio audience listening estimates for the September-October period, often referred to as La Rentrée - The Return. For broadcasters and the media buyers they love this report very important. Ad placement for the all-important holiday season relies on this data. All broadcasters base annual strategies on this period.

The top two national radio channels - RTL and France Inter - remain firmly in their places, first and second, respectively. RTL posted 12.6% audience share, up from 12.5% year on year. France Inter’s audience share rose to 12.5%, highest ever, up from 11.4%. “Is there still room in France for a third major general interest radio channel?” asked French daily Le Point (November 20). It is probably a fair question.

Legacy hit music channel NRJ moved into 3rd place nationally; 6.3% audience share, up from 6.2% year on year. Dislodged to 4th place was news-talk channel RMC as it fell to 5.8% audience share, lowest in 8 years, from 6.4%. Platform ambiguity, a topic much in vogue among broadcasters, may have precipitated that sharp downturn. RMC simulcasts on television channel BFM TV. "The unique specificity of having our radio programs also broadcast on television makes it more difficult to read the (audience estimates) because our listeners have the choice to watch or listen to our broadcasts,” said RMC general director Morgan Serrano. RMC is one of the statutory national general interest radio channels.

Regional public network France Bleu held 5th place; dropping to 5.7% audience share from 6.0% one year on. National oldies channel Nostalgie moved into 6th place in the national survey with 4.8% audience share, up from 4.7% year on year. Talk channel Europe 1, in the midst of another re-boot, placed 7th as it fell to 4.1% audience share from 4.8%. Public all-news channel France Info was 8th; off slightly at 3.8%. Rap/hip hop channel Skyrock followed with 3.4%, down from 3.7% year on year. RFM was next; 3.3% audience share from 3.5%. (See French national radio audience estimates trend chart here)

Further down the list, only public arts and culture channel France Culture made a significant gain. New to the list, by virtue of passing the measurement threshold, was regional public alternative channel FIP, essentially a Greater Paris channel available on FM in ten cities. FIP is also multi-platform, utilizing online streaming, podcasts and next year DAB+ networks across the country. M Radio, formerly MFM, dropped out.

Total radio audience in France continues to fall. In one year, the percentage of persons 13 years and older listening to radio is 76.5%, lowest in years (periodic measurement methodology adjustments not withstanding), down from 78.6%. Average time spent listening, however, remains relatively stable.

As total radio listening has fallen, so has the aggregate audience share for national commercial channels; 67.5% from 69.1% one year on. Five years ago the commercial radio audience share was 71.6%. On the surface, this change in audience behavior appears coincident with the implosion of Europe 1 and the two-period delisting of Fun Radio, both occuring in 2016, with significantly negative publicity. At the same time, NRJ Group channels (NRJ, Nostalgie, Cherie FM and Rire & Chansons) have held steady: the programming and brand marketing not changing.

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