CRA says smart speakers are changing the way people consume audio

Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) was again pushing the benefits and opportunities associated with smart speakers for the audio sector this week.

The industry body partnered with Edison Research for the Smart Audio report, which found 26% of Australians now own a smart speaker.

Of those owners, 67% claim to use it daily, and 88% use it weekly.

In addition, 59% of smart speaker owners said they were listening to more audio since the purchase.

Music – including from online services and radio – is the favourite use for smart speakers, with 65% of owners requesting it from the device weekly. This is followed by asking for the weather (56%), asking a general question (53%) and requesting a news update (41%).

CRA chief executive, Joan Warner, said these statistics are good news for audio broadcasters.

“The increasing prevalence of smart speakers in Australian households extends access to radio to more places and more devices and demonstrates that consumers value audio and are open to the increasing possibilities of voice assistant technology,” she said.

The study also revealed 41% of smart speaker owners said they now spend less time with other technologies. On the flip side, interacting with the smart speaker has made them more open to speaking with other devices, with nearly half of the owners saying they are now using voice assistants on their phones more since getting a smart speaker.

Megan Lazovick, vice president at Edison Research, said smart speakers have fundamentally changed the way people interact with media.

“The technology is influencing usage on other devices such as the smartphone,” she said. “It is a good bet that the Australian population will continue to grow more comfortable with this technology and opportunities will grow for those in audio and advertising if they embrace smart audio too.”

The survey involved 5,000 adults aged 18+ and was conducted from April 19 to May 5.

It can be downloaded here.