The radio market - Italy (2024)

1.2 World Market

The global radio station market will grow from $**.** billion in **** to $**.** billion in ****, with a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.*%. The radio station market is expected to grow to $***.** billion in ****, with a CAGR of *.*%.a radio station is defined as a complex structure consisting of radio transmitters, antennas, and other technical devices used to transmit, retransmit, or broadcast radio programs[***].

Value of the world radio market World, ****-****, in billions of $ Source: ****

1.3 Italian Market

Radio stations make money by selling advertising, so we can understand its development positively or negatively based on the value the advertising investments obtained. Radio, is confirmed as the only medium between TV and Print that grows in almost every month of the year. During the month of December ****, the medium increases by *.*% compared to **** with a value of about ** million, bringing the total investments for the period under consideration to about *** million (***).

****/**** % change in advertising investment Italy, ****/****, in % Source: ****

The broadcasting sector totals in the twelve months of the year **** a total investment of about *.* billion euros, down *.*% from last year (***) [***].

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1.4 Covid-19 Impact

Some of the restrictions put in place during the pandemic, such as less mobility, had an impact on radio listeners, changing their traditional radio enjoyment as well. Before the pandemic, about **.*% of listeners preferred the car as the place to listen to radio broadcasts. During the course of the pandemic and after, listeners began to prefer the home, increasing their use of devices used at home from **.*% to **.*%[***]. 

Changes in radio listening habits following the pandemic Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Consequent to the change in radio listening locations, there is also a change in the tools used for radio listening. For example, as can be seen in the graph below, the devices described maintain higher values than before the lockdown.

Change in tools used for radio listening with the advent of the pandemic Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Phase * kicked off a major recovery in Italians' mobility, translating immediately into an increase in radio listening. The important upswing in car use, which is set to increase further, has signaled a revival of the car radio, which is once again confirmed as a key platform for listening. Among other things, the car seems particularly attuned to Phase * as a place that keeps it safe from ...

2.1 Socio-demographic data of listeners

The graph below shows the evolution of the number of listeners divided by gender. Until ****, the number of female listeners was higher than the category of male radio listeners, only to present a reversal from **** onward. There is no notable difference between the two groups, which differ by a few hundred people.

Number of women and men listening to radio in Italy from **** to **** Italy, ****-****, in thousands Source: ****

The graph shows the temporal evolution of the number of radio listeners in thousands, broken down by age group. The data show that the age group with the smallest number of listeners is the *-* year olds with *** thousand listeners, while the group with the largest number of listeners is the **-** year olds with *.* million listeners. An upward trend can be seen from the *-* years old group to the **-** years old group, with peak listening among **-** years old and **-** years old. After age **, the number of listeners gradually decreases, with a slight increase in the **-** age group. The number of listeners in the **-and-over age group is *.* million.

Number of radio listeners in Italy in ****, by age Italy, ****, in thousands Source: ****

The graph shows the temporal ...

2.1 Content preferences

Contemporary pop/adult music and Rock/alternative/indie music are the top two responses from Italian consumers in Statista's survey on "Favorite Radio Content by Genre." The survey was conducted online among *,*** respondents, ages **-**, in Italy in ****.

Favorite radio content by gender in Italy as of March **** Italy, ****, as % of total sample Source: ****

2.3 Most listened to radio stations

From January to June ****, RTL ***.* was the radio station with the highest average number of daily listeners in Italy: over six million. Radio Dimensione Suono-also known as RDS ***% Greatest Hits-ran in second place with nearly *.* million daily listeners.

Top radio stations in Italy in H* ****, by average number of daily listeners Italy, ****, in thousands of listeners Source: ****

2.4 Motivations behind listening to the radio

The graph describes the role of radio for different activities according to the opinion of survey participants. **% of participants believe that the radio plays an important role in relaxing. Almost the same percentage (***) use the radio to listen to their favorite music. **% of the participants use the radio to improve their mood or have fun, while **% use it to feel less lonely or social. Regarding information, **% of participants believe that radio provides reliable information, **% use it to stay up-to-date on music news, **% use it to find out what is happening in their local area, **% use it to find out about current issues, and **% use it to learn more about topics of their interest. Finally, regarding the social role played by radio, **% of participants use radio to feel part of a community, **% to have topics to talk about with friends and acquaintances, and **% to attend concerts or events.

Motivations that lead to listening to radio broadcasts Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

3.1 Characteristics of the Italian market

Over the past five years, the number of radio broadcasts has been steadily decreasing, reaching a total number of *** in ****, from the *** recorded in ****. Organizationally, the radio broadcasting sector is predominantly made up of corporations, accounting for **.*% of enterprises. This is followed by other corporate forms, corresponding to **.* percent, partnerships with **.*% and sole proprietorships with *.* percent. Looking at the size of enterprises in the sector, an interesting fact emerges: about half of the enterprises are microenterprises. **% of them have an annual turnover of less than two million euros and employ less than ten employees. Only *.*% of enterprises fall into the category of small and medium-sized enterprises (***). In terms of employment, **.*% of radio stations have fewer than two employees, while *.*% employ ten or more employees. On average, the number of employees in the industry is around **.* [***].

Temporal evolution of the number of radio broadcasts Italy, ****-****, in number of enterprises Source: ****

Like the number of radio broadcasts, the overall economic performance of this sector is also experiencing a steady decline, as we can see from the graph below, over the ****-**** reference period. During the period analyzed, total revenues decreased by **.*% .

Temporal evolution of radio broadcasting turnover Italy, ****-****, in millions of ...

3.2 Differentiation by transmission types

NationalRadio: In ****, the Italian radio market at the national level consists of a total of ** operators (***).

* are radios under the public service operator RAI, ** are radios of a commercial nature owned by ** corporations (***); * are radio stations of a community nature (***)

Radio Nations/Company Groups

Local Radio: The local radio sector turns out to be a highly fragmented reality, composed of small and "micro" enterprises, often born from amateur and/or cultural initiatives of an ultra-local nature. The identification of radio stations actually operating at the local level, and their timely monitoring over time, is therefore difficult.

Local radio stations, monitored companies and brands

In ****, the total number of radio broadcasters (***) of the national total.

Radio - Total revenues by type of operator   **** **** Var ****/**** National Private Radio ***.* ***.* -**.*% Local Radio ***.* ***.* -**.*% Public Service Radio ***.* ***.* -*.*% Total ***.* ***.* -**.*%

In ****, the share held by Local Radio stations in the total market is **% decreasing by one percentage point compared to ****, symmetrically, private national radio stations increase from **% in **** to **% in ****; in the two-year period under consideration, the share represented by the Public Service operator increases from **% to **%.

3.3 MISE: fund for small and medium-sized creative enterprises

This Fund, with an endowment of ** million euros for the years **** and ****, aims to promote the establishment, development and consolidation of businesses operating in the creative sector, through the granting of grants, facilitating access to credit and promoting innovative financing tools, as well as other initiatives for the development of the sector.

Enterprises that can access it are those identified by the following ATECO Codes:

Ateco Code ** Film, video and television program production, music and sound recording activities; Ateco Code **.**.** Radio broadcasting; Ateco Code **.**.* Television programming and broadcasting[***].

Source: ****

4.1 Existing types of radio broadcasting

In Italy, the ** national networks with a commercial character - Deejay, RDS (***) attract, overall, only **% of the audience. More substantial is the local radio sector, consisting of more than *** broadcasters, accounting for about **% of the audience. None of the European commercial networks, in fact, has a listenership comparable to that of the commercial networks of Italy or France [***].

Community broadcasters (***) range from information radios such as Radio popolare to confessional ones such as Radio Torino biblica and Radio Krishna centrale, from those directed to linguistic minorities such as Radio onde furlane to 'alternative' and politicized ones such as Radio Sherwood and Radio onda rossa [***].

Public broadcasting,like public broadcasting, is a form of public service intended to serve the various viewing or listening needs of the public on a national scale. It is a system in which radio, television, and potentially other electronic media receive some or all of their funding from the public. Funding for broadcasters may come directly from individuals through voluntary donations, or from television fees, or indirectly as government subsidies, (***) belong[***].

Local commercial radio broadcaster: The broadcasting of local radio broadcasters on terrestrial frequencies in analog technique takes place under ministerial concession. In particular, radio broadcasters of ...

4.2 Supply Trends: Web Radio & Podcasts

In the past, small transistor radios were the most popular tool for listening to the radio, easily carried in one's pocket. However, today the smartphone has emerged as the most innovative medium through which the younger generation and the general public can listen to radio. Each radio station has its own dedicated app or can be reached through numerous apps that collect signals from broadcasters around the world. Thanks to the Internet, radio has lost its local dimension and gained a global reach. In addition, the Web has given rise to an incredible number of new radio stations that, exploiting dedicated software, broadcast without antennas or radio signals, without the use of repeaters. These stations are born in the rooms of fans and reach a global audience. In addition, there are podcasts, which, while not strictly radio, have many similarities and are becoming commonplace for millions of listeners. It is a form of "on-demand" radio that has overcome the restrictions of broadcast times, allowing listeners to enjoy their favorite programs anywhere, anytime, via smartphones, tablets, computers, smart speakers or televisions. it is the format of "talk" radio that is taking hold, leaving music in the background. Podcasts allow people to tell ...

4.3 DAB broadcasting, the market-leading innovation

Radio has always adapted to technological innovations and sought to take advantage of new opportunities as they arose. The advancement of DAB, which offers high listening quality, has enabled the development of thematic radio stations that can be listened to not only live, but also in specialized modes for fans. The main advantage of DAB+ digital radio over traditional FM radio is impeccable sound quality. According to a study conducted by GFK, there are currently more than * million people who own a DAB+ digital receiver, either at home or integrated into car infotainment systems, and it is expected to reach more than * million by the end of the year. In addition to providing virtually perfect sound, digital radio also enables the broadcast of photos of the presenters or artists on the air, song titles, and messages of public interest. Another advantage of DAB is that it requires far fewer repeaters than FM to cover the same population: currently, with only *** repeaters, **%  of the territory is covered. When FM was introduced, the next evolution was the Radio Data System (***), an integrated system that allowed automatic frequency switching as one moved around rather than requiring the listener to manually make the change. The ...

5.1 Regulation

In Italy, radio broadcasting is subject to various rules and regulations. The following are some of the main Italian regulations concerning radio broadcasting:

Law No. *** of August *, **** (***): This law establishes the general regulatory framework for the organization and operation of the Italian radio and television system. It regulates aspects such as authorizations for the creation of radio stations, ownership of frequencies, content of broadcasts, and users' rights. Legislative DecreeNo. *** of November *, ****: This legislative decree transposes European electronic communications legislation and regulates various aspects of the sector, including radio broadcasting. It establishes criteria for frequency allocation, procedures for the authorization of radio broadcasters, technical requirements for broadcasting, and rules on advertising. Annex A to Resolution No. ***/**/CONS of November **, **** as last amended by Resolution No. ***/**/CONS: Regulations on the new regulation of the start-up phase of terrestrial radio broadcasting in digital technology. These regulations define in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner the provisions to promote the development of radio broadcasting in digital technology in implementation of the provisions of Art. **, paragraph *, of Law No. *** of May *, ****, and in compliance with the EU directives on electronic communication networks and services, guaranteeing equal conditions for the start-up, development and ordinary operation of the ...

6.1 Segmentation

• RAI - RADIOTELEVISIONE ITALIANA S.P.A.
• R.T.I. S.p.a
• ELEMEDIA S.P.A.
• Radio Dimensione Suono S.p.A.
• Radio Maria