IAB Ireland this week published the seventh wave of its Listen Up Ireland research, a longitudinal study tracking digital audio consumption across the country since 2019. Conducted by RED C Research between 5 and 15 March 2026 using a nationally representative online sample of 1,032 adults aged 16 and above, the report documents consumption levels that now match the peak engagement recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020.

The headline figure is stable: 76% of Irish adults aged 16 and above listen to digital audio in an average week. That penetration rate corresponds to 3.09 million people, calculated using CSO population data. What has changed is not who is listening but how long they are listening - and what that means for advertisers trying to reach them.

Scale and reach: the numbers behind the reach claim

According to the research, digital audio and FM radio combined reach 92% of all adults aged 16 and above in an average week. FM radio alone reaches 80% of that population, meaning digital audio adds an incremental 12 percentage points of reach that FM cannot deliver on its own. That incremental figure is particularly important among younger cohorts. Among 16-24 year-olds, the incremental reach delivered by digital audio beyond FM radio stands at 29%. Among 25-34 year-olds it is 18%, and among Dublin residents it is 16%.

The 96% weekly engagement rate among 16-34 year-olds is the sharpest demographic signal in the dataset. It is up 5 percentage points against the 2025 wave. Among upmarket ABC1 social groups, weekly penetration reaches 80%.

The study defines digital audio as radio, music or podcast content accessed through an online connection. That includes live radio, catch-up radio, podcast platforms and music streaming services. Not all of this inventory is commercially addressable - some music streaming tiers carry no advertising at all - a distinction the report is careful to flag throughout.

Pairing digital audio with BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) yields the highest combined incremental reach of any channel combination tested. Digital audio adds 18 percentage points of reach on top of BVOD's existing 69%, bringing the combined total to 88%. That figure held steady year over year.

Time spent: back to 2020 levels

The more striking finding is the upward movement in listening hours. Among all adults aged 16 and above, weekly time spent with digital audio rose 7% year over year to 12.6 hours per week. That puts digital audio on a par with live TV, which also recorded 12.6 hours per week, making the two the joint leading media channels by time spent. Social media came in at 8.7 hours, FM radio at 7.2 hours, and SVOD at 8 hours per week.

Among active digital audio listeners specifically, weekly consumption reached 16.6 hours - the same figure recorded in 2020 during the first full year of pandemic restrictions, when listening surged as people spent more time at home. The intervening years saw consumption dip to 14.9 hours in 2024 before recovering to 15.4 hours in 2025 and now rebounding to that 2020 level. The 2022 wave, conducted in October of that year, recorded the highest figure in the dataset at 19.3 hours.

The 25-34 age group is the primary driver of the 2026 uplift, reaching 23.7 hours of weekly digital audio consumption - the highest of any demographic segment. The net figure for 16-44 year-olds collectively is 21.0 hours per week. Among 55-64 year-olds, consumption stands at 9.1 hours, and among those aged 65 and above it is 9.6 hours per week.

On demand music is the largest single contributor to total listening time, accounting for 10% of all weekly media hours among all adults aged 16 and above. Podcasts account for 4%, online radio 4%, and radio aggregator services 2%. The combined digital audio share of total weekly media hours is 21%, ahead of live TV at 20%.

Format breakdown: on-demand music leads, podcasts hold

Among digital audio listeners, 68% listen to on-demand music services on a weekly basis, 41% listen to podcasts, and 39% listen to live or catch-up radio online including radio aggregator services, according to the research. On-demand music's weekly reach within the listener base is 68%, a figure that has climbed from 52% in 2019.

Podcast weekly reach within the listener base sits at 41% in 2026, effectively unchanged from 2025. Over a longer time horizon, the progression is steep: from 22% in 2019 to 28% in 2020, 33% in 2021, 38% in 2022, and 42% in 2024 before settling at the current level. Radio aggregator services reach 18% of digital audio listeners weekly, flat year over year.

Net digital radio, which bundles these services together, reached 39% of listeners on a weekly basis in 2026, down from 42% in 2025 and 46% in 2024. The direction of travel for digital radio is downward even as the broader digital audio category holds firm.

The average Irish adult uses between seven and eight media channels per week, according to the data.

Device behaviour: smartphones dominate, connected cars hold second place

Smartphones remain the dominant access device for digital audio consumption in Ireland. According to the research, 75% of digital audio listeners use a smartphone regularly to consume audio content. That figure is consistent with the 72% recorded in 2025 and the 75% recorded in 2019, indicating the smartphone's position has been essentially locked in throughout the survey's history.

Connected cars are the second most used device at 33%, easing slightly from 36% in 2025 following what the report describes as a spike in the prior wave. Smart speakers rank third at 25%. PCs including desktops and laptops stand at 23%, smart TVs at 18%, tablets at 17%, and internet radio devices at 9%.

Smartphone usage skews younger. Among 16-24 year-olds, 80% use a smartphone to listen to digital audio, rising to 84% among 25-34 year-olds. Among Dublin residents specifically, smartphone usage reaches 82%. Tablets and internet radio devices are more common among older listeners, with 27% of those aged 65 and above using a tablet and 16% using an internet radio device.

According to Gavin Costello, Research Project Manager at RED C Research, "The study highlights how digital audio seamlessly integrates into daily life, accompanying consumers across a wide range of moments, from commuting and working to exercising and relaxing. Smartphones remain the dominant access point, used by 75% of listeners, reinforcing the channel's always on, on the go nature."

Context of listening: driving and chores lead, working grows

The most common activity undertaken while listening to digital audio is driving, cited by 46% of digital audio listeners. Household chores come second at 44%, and relaxing third at 43%. Sports, exercise or hobbies account for 23%, working for 23%, and commuting via public transport, walking or cycling for 21%. Watching TV while listening accounts for 10%, as does washing or dressing.

Gender differences are notable. Men are significantly more likely to listen while working (30%) compared to the overall figure of 23%. Women are significantly more likely to listen while washing or dressing (16% versus 10% overall). Among 16-24 year-olds, commuting is a significantly higher activity at 29%. Listeners aged 65 and above are significantly more likely to listen while relaxing, at 59%.

Podcast deep dive: Spotify leads, video format gains traction

Among podcast consumers, which the research bases on a sample of 489 adults aged 16 and above, 76% prefer to listen or watch alone. That preference holds across demographic groups, though it is stronger among 25-34 year-olds where 52% indicate an even stronger preference for solitary engagement.

A significant 39% of podcast consumers say that when a podcast is available in both audio and video formats, they prefer to watch the video version rather than listen to audio only. That preference is higher among 16-34 year-olds at 46% and lower among those aged 65 and above at 27%. The video podcast shift is a trend that global research has tracked as YouTube becomes an increasingly prominent distribution platform for audio-first content.

Almost half - 49% - of podcast consumers regularly listen to or watch podcasts on Spotify. YouTube is the platform for 41%. Social media is the primary channel for discovering new podcasts, cited by 49% of podcast listeners. Recommendations from family or friends account for 41%.

Social media podcast discovery is more prevalent among women, at 56%, and that pattern holds across all age groups of women surveyed - 56% among women aged 16-34, 57% among women aged 35-54, and 55% among women aged 55 and above.

Digital audio advertising: attention and trust data

The advertising section of the Listen Up Ireland 2026 research is where the findings carry particular weight for the marketing community. According to the study, digital audio now ranks second for claimed attention to advertising across all media channels. Only cinema scores higher, at 46%. Net digital audio scores 35%, placing it ahead of live TV (32%), newspapers and magazines (29%), live or catch-up radio online (29%), social media (29%), YouTube (29%), on-demand music (28%), broadcast TV on demand (28%), and FM radio (28%, a channel added to the questionnaire in 2026).

Broken down by digital audio format, podcasts generate the highest claimed attention at 35%, up 2 percentage points year over year. Live or catch-up radio online scores 29%, unchanged year over year. On-demand music scores 28%, up 5 percentage points - the only statistically significant year-over-year movement within the digital audio formats.

Trust in advertising follows a related but distinct pattern. Newspapers and magazines lead on trust at 44%, followed by cinema at 43%, and live TV at 42%. Net digital audio commands 41% trust. Live or catch-up radio online registers 41% trust, up 2 percentage points. FM radio, added to the questionnaire in 2026, registers 41%. Broadcast TV on demand is at 41%, up 6 percentage points. Podcasts are at 36%, down 1 percentage point. On-demand music is at 31%, up 1 percentage point.

The trust figures position digital audio advertising on a level comparable with live TV and traditional print, which is a meaningful data point for media planners evaluating channel mix. The gap between social media trust (23%) and digital audio trust (41%) is substantial.

Willingness to listen to advertising in exchange for free content stood at 37% in 2026, down 4 percentage points from 41% in 2025, though still above the 36% recorded in 2024. The research notes this decline may reflect satisfaction with current consumption levels rather than hostility to advertising per se.

The most commercially actionable figure: 19% of digital audio listeners have taken an action, or felt compelled to take an action, based on an ad they heard on a podcast. That figure rises to 30% among 16-34 year-olds and falls to 6% among those aged 55 and above. Among all digital audio listeners, 45% say their experiences with digital audio are generally more positive than their experiences with other digital media such as social media.

According to Maeve O'Meara, Programme Director at IAB Ireland, "Digital Audio is now a core pillar of effective media plans, combining scale, attention, trust and measurable impact. With strong reach, increasing time spent, and proven advertising effectiveness, digital audio offers brands in Ireland a powerful way to connect with audiences."

What this means for the marketing community

The Listen Up Ireland research series has now run for seven waves since 2019, making it one of the most longitudinal tracking studies available for digital audio in any European market. The IAB Ireland data arrives at a moment when the global digital audio advertising market is expanding rapidly. European digital advertising crossed €118.9 billion in 2024 with 16% growth, with digital audio contributing to that expansion, and Ireland is among the European markets identified as having proportionally stronger digital audio advertising investment due to its historically strong radio culture.

The 2025 wave of the same research, published in April 2025, found 76% weekly penetration at that time too, but crucially recorded lower listening hours - the current wave's rise to 16.6 hours per week among listeners is the key movement. Advertisers tracking the Listen Up series will note that reach has remained stable for four consecutive waves while depth of engagement has grown.

The IAB's June 2025 guide on measuring digital audio in Media Mix Models identified a persistent gap between consumer audio time and advertiser investment - audio commands 20% of media time but receives a fraction of budget. The Irish data reinforces that the consumption side of that equation continues to strengthen. Whether investment follows remains a separate question, but the attention and trust metrics documented today provide Irish-specific evidence that the channel performs.

The finding that 1 in 5 listeners acted or felt compelled to act on a podcast ad - rising to 3 in 10 among 16-34 year-olds - is directly comparable with the broader pattern that podcast advertising spending grew 32% year-over-year globally in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven partly by performance marketers who can track outcomes through unique URLs and promo codes.

Bauer Media Audio's November 2025 expansion of its audioXi programmatic audio network is also relevant context. Bauer reaches over 61 million listeners weekly across nine countries including Ireland, and the growth of programmatic infrastructure in audio means that the Irish audiences documented in the Listen Up research are increasingly accessible through automated buying interfaces, not just direct deals.

The study's finding that digital audio is a substitute for live TV and social media time - particularly among younger listeners - matters for media planners allocating budgets across channels. Among digital audio listeners, 35% say they watch less TV or online video than a year ago because of online radio, music or podcasts - up 2 percentage points year over year. A quarter say they spend less time on social media for the same reason, a figure that has held steady across 2025 and 2026.

Timeline

Summary

Who: IAB Ireland's Digital Audio Council commissioned RED C Research to conduct the Listen Up Ireland 2026 study. The study is based on a nationally representative online sample of 1,032 adults aged 16 and above in Ireland.

What: The seventh wave of the Listen Up Ireland research series, tracking digital audio consumption, behaviour, attitudes, podcast engagement, and advertising effectiveness across the Irish population. Key findings include 76% weekly penetration, 16.6 hours of weekly consumption among active listeners, a 7% year-over-year increase in time spent among all adults, and digital audio ranking second for claimed ad attention across all media channels behind only cinema.

When: Fieldwork was conducted between 5 and 15 March 2026. The report was published on 30 April 2026.

Where: Ireland, with regional breakdowns covering Dublin (30% of the digital audio listener base), Rest of Leinster (28%), Munster (27%), and Connacht/Ulster (15%).

Why: The research matters for marketers and media planners because it documents both the scale and depth of digital audio engagement in Ireland at a time when programmatic audio infrastructure is expanding, podcast advertising is growing globally, and the Irish market shows that digital audio commands trust and attention levels comparable with live TV and traditional print - while reaching audiences, particularly younger ones, that FM radio alone cannot access.

Share this article
The link has been copied!