Irish Digital Audio Consumption Reaches 76% of Adult Population

On April 3, 2025, IAB Ireland's Digital Audio Council released its sixth wave of digital audio research, revealing that 76% of adults in Ireland aged 16 and older now consume digital audio content weekly. The "Listen Up Ireland 2025" study, conducted by RED C Research, provides comprehensive insights into the digital audio landscape across the country.

The research found that digital audio consumption has maintained steady penetration rates compared to previous years, with 3.09 million Irish adults now engaging with digital audio weekly. This represents a significant portion of the population and demonstrates the continued strength of the medium in the Irish market.

According to the findings, digital audio is firmly established as a primary media channel, second only to live television in terms of time spent per week. Irish adults now spend an average of 11.8 hours weekly consuming digital audio content, compared to 12.6 hours watching live TV. This positions digital audio ahead of other major media channels including social media (8.9 hours), FM radio (8.3 hours), and subscription video-on-demand services (7.5 hours).

"The research confirms digital audio's position as a primary media channel with the weekly listener universe increasing to almost 3.1 million," stated Lee Thompson, co-chair of the IAB Audio Council, as quoted in the announcement. "Time spent has ticked up with digital audio only trailing Live TV in terms of total time spent."

The demographic profile of digital audio listeners remains consistent with previous studies, showing a notable skew toward younger audiences and higher socioeconomic groups. The research indicates that digital audio listeners are more likely to be aged 18-34 (+6% versus general population), in full-time employment (+5%), and from ABC1 social grades (+4%).

Among 16-34 year olds, weekly digital audio consumption reaches an impressive 91%, demonstrating the medium's particular strength among younger demographics. Additionally, the research found that digital audio provides an incremental reach of 10% over FM radio, extending the combined reach of radio and digital audio to 94% of adults.

For the youngest adult demographic surveyed, the incremental reach is even more substantial, with digital audio extending reach by 30% among 16-24 year olds. This highlights the medium's importance for reaching younger audiences who may not engage with traditional radio.

The study also explored the devices used for digital audio consumption, finding that smartphones remain the dominant platform. However, the data indicates significant growth in listening via connected cars and smart TVs, both of which demonstrated positive year-over-year trends. This suggests a diversification in how audiences access digital audio content.

Entertainment continues to be the primary motivator for engaging with digital audio, followed by relaxation and accompaniment. Household chores emerged as the most common activity performed while consuming digital audio, highlighting the medium's complementary role in daily routines.

In terms of format preferences, on-demand music services lead in weekly consumption at 70% among digital audio listeners, followed by podcasts at 42% and live/catch-up radio at 37%. The study noted that weekly listening to both music and podcasts continues to rise, while digital audio listeners are moving away from radio, with weekly listening to live/catch-up radio in decline.

Notably, the research found that among digital audio formats, podcasts garnered the highest attention to advertisements, with 33% of podcast listeners reporting high attention levels compared to 29% for live/catch-up radio and 23% for on-demand music. However, live or catch-up radio achieved the highest trust levels for advertising at 39%, compared to 37% for podcasts and 30% for on-demand music.

The study also revealed an increasing acceptance of advertising in digital audio, with 41% of respondents now willing to listen to ads in exchange for free content, representing a 5 percentage point increase from February 2024. This suggests growing audience maturity and understanding of the advertising-supported model.

When compared to other media channels, digital audio advertising performs strongly in terms of both attention and trust. While cinema advertising leads in both metrics (46% attention, 46% trust), digital audio outperforms other digital channels including social media (24% attention, 16% trust) and YouTube (23% attention, 23% trust).

"We included some new questions this year to look at levels of Attention and Trust in Digital Audio and were pleased to see Digital audio score high on both metrics," noted Maeve O'Meara, Programme Director at IAB Ireland. "In terms of Attention, ads on podcasts came in joint second place with TV ads, second only to cinema advertising."

The "Listen Up Ireland 2025" study is the sixth wave of research tracking digital audio consumption since 2019. The latest survey was conducted online between February 14-19, 2025, using a nationally representative sample of 1,054 adults aged 16 and above. This represents an expansion from previous waves, which surveyed adults 18 and older.

As digital audio continues to evolve, the research indicates that it is increasingly becoming an essential component of media consumption in Ireland, with particularly strong engagement among younger audiences. For marketers and content creators, understanding these consumption patterns and audience preferences provides valuable insights for strategic planning.

Timeline and Key Developments

• February 2019: First wave of IAB Ireland digital audio research shows 66% weekly penetration among Irish adults
• September 2020: Second wave reveals increase to 71% weekly penetration
• June 2021: Third wave maintains 71% weekly penetration
• October 2022: Fourth wave shows growth to 77% weekly penetration
• January 2024: Fifth wave peaks at 78% weekly penetration
• February 2025: Sixth wave shows 76% weekly penetration, expanding research to include 16-17 year olds
• April 3, 2025: Release of "Listen Up Ireland 2025" report showing digital audio as second most consumed media format in Ireland