Illustration of a radio studio.

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Pouzet / 20 Minutes

The health crisis has not spared the airwaves.

The second confinement and the curfew caused a drop in radio listening in November-December 2020, with nearly 2 million listeners lost in one year, a context which favored public stations, including France Inter and France Info, to the detriment of the private sector.

According to data released Thursday by Médiamétrie, the number of daily listeners to the radio, all stations combined, fell to 40.4 million between November 2 and December 27, about 500,000 less than in September. October, and 1.9 million less than at the end of 2019.

France Inter consolidates its position

A plummet that can be explained by the reconfinement imposed in November and then the establishment in December of a national curfew.

Anti-Covid-19 measures which have favored the massive recourse to teleworking and therefore reduced listening to the radio, especially in the car, often on the most strategic times (start and end of the day).

In this difficult context, the public service and generalist radios on the whole are doing well.

France Inter in particular consolidates its position as the most listened to station in the country, with 12.7% of cumulative audience (-0.1 point over one year), or 6.9 million listeners, ahead of RTL (-0, 9 point at 11.2%), and is also ahead of this one according to the other major criterion, that of audience share (14.7% against 12.6%).

The rest of the ranking has some surprises in store: France Info, which had already made a comeback, is now 3rd in cumulative audience (+1.1 point to 9.5%), ahead of NRJ (-1.3 point to 8, 2%).

Europe 1 tumbles

RMC is still struggling (-1.1 point to 6.1%).

As for Europe 1, it falls to 5% (-1 point), ahead of France Bleu, Skyrock and Nostalgie, but regains its breath after a historic plunge to 4.5% in spring 2020. Musicals do not have the heart at the party.

Those dedicated to young people sink even further (Virgin, Fun Radio, etc.), while those aimed at more adult audiences limit damage (RTL 2, RFM, etc.).

The indie radios, a group of 130 local, regional and thematic stations, are also affected (-1.9 points to 13.3% of cumulative audience).

France Culture confirms its success (+0.2 to 3.2%).

Another Radio France branch, France Musique, has made a good breakthrough (+0.1 points to 2.1%).

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  • Curfew

  • Confinement

  • Coronavirus

  • Radio

  • Covid 19

  • Media

  • Audience