BTV (Broadcast TV) is most at risk from load-shedding because it is reliant on a fixed plug-point screen in-home. We can see from the daily TAMS data provided by BRC that time spent viewing is down dramatically year on year. Average weekly viewing time 2023 YTD is down on average -28% over 2019 and -15% over 2022. See attached.
Just bear in mind though that this isn’t all due to load shedding. Some of it reflects the migration from BTV to STV (Streaming TV) on other devices. BRC_TAMS doesn’t measure STV.
Radio is not subject to the same level of risk for several reasons. In fact, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that during load shedding “listening behaviour” actually increases. It might not be listening to conventional broadcast radio on a “radio set” but certainly listening on a mobile device (casting with Bluetooth) and other LOD options like podcasts are big winners. In a recent study conducted by OFM 22% of respondents (n=1026) indicated that they increased listening behaviour during load shedding.
Why is radio not impacted to the same degree as TV?
Perhaps the best way to argue this point is to say that the last RAMS Amplify data already have load shedding built into it. Fieldwork covers Feb’22-Jan’23. Those periods were certainly loadshed albeit at a lower level.
Almost 9 out of every 10 content viewers (all forms of TV) listen to the radio every week. But very few (5%) listen to the radio while they are watching TV/ Video content (Fusion 22). Widespread anecdotal evidence confirms that the default load shedding response is to find something to listen to. Yes, it could be Spotify/ Wondery etc. but it could also be streaming your favourite radio station if you have a UPS/ Inverter/ Generator. I would argue that at the top end of the market, there is a strong case to suggest that load shedding is inflating radio listenership – especially during what were formerly TV viewing timeslots. This is important because it’s not like you need solar panels to stay in the game.
Only 23% of Pick n Pay (PnP) radio listeners listen to the radio “at home on radio set or hi-fi” (Fusion22 – NielsenDCS). There are multiple audio inputs that are not reliant on broadcast airtime.
If you’re advertising in drive-time, then in-car listenership is not impacted. No change in the audience. But if I was a heavy TV advertiser like PnP, I would double down on any supplementary radio advertising by going into timeslots previously dominated by TV. Far from being a problem, that’s bonus listeners. You fill in the TV reach gap with SONIC BRANDING.
Only 8% of PnP radio listeners listen to radio via DSTV. What we also know is that they are not listening to DSTV Audio while they are watching TV – that’s just technically not doable. They listen to DSTV Audio when they are not watching TV. In terms of the point above I would suggest that load shedding has the potential to increase DSTV Audio listening via other devices if the TV set is switched off. When load shedding takes place, they switch to data/wi-fi to listen to DSTV Audio (and of course all the other options).
Written by Gordon Muller, head coach at GSM Quadrant.
