A study into the German online radio market has found that mobile is accounting for 12 per cent of all usage, with several stations reporting mobile use as high as 50 per cent. 

The Web Radio Monitor 2011 study, which was conducted by the Bavarian Regulator Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM), and Berlin strategy consultant Goldmedia, surveyed all online radio providers in Germany, and  and was carried out in May and June this year. About 340 live FM radio streams, so-called simulcast streams, and about 150 online FM sub-brands were also included in Web Radio Monitor 2011.

The study also found that 72 per cent of online radio providers consider mobile as an area for potential growth, and providers say that they expect mobile use to increase to at least 50 per cent by 2015. Growth drivers include new LTE technology, lower streaming costs, growth in the number of smartphone users, and more cars with mobile internet capabilities, according to the study.

60 per cent of the radio stations surveyed said that a social media strategy is essential for communication and for an online radio stations image, but it was mainly the simulcast FM radio stations that saw social media as a potential platform for broadcast. “This will change in the future, as indicated by plans to integrate streaming provider Spotify on Facebook and the first online radio station on StudiVZ, RauteMusik. It was mainly FM stations that reported plans to launch more radio players on Facebook in Web Radio Monitor 2011,” says the report. 

There are currently 3,100 online radio stations in Germany, and the report says that this is the result of an average annual groth of 47 per cent since 2006. Since 2010, average hits per day have increased by 14 per cent. 

To view the free report, head to the Web Radio Monitor website.