Getting Radio Ready for the In-Vehicle Video Revolution

Radio has been in cars forever and continues to dominate as the most important in-vehicle media. In fact, with 88% of car owners listening to audio in-vehicle^[1], and AM/FM radio is still a top consideration in vehicle purchases, holding an in-car listening share of 86%^[2].

Broadcasters could arguably just rely on this data to reach audiences in the car. But content today easily crosses platforms without being married to traditional formats. It’s something we’ve being seeing outside the car for some time, and is now becoming truer inside the car, too.

Video Takes the Wheel

As big a hold as radio and audio have on in-cabin entertainment, video usage is on the rise, and fast: increasing from 31% of consumers watching video in the vehicle in 2022 to 47% in 2024.

That has coincided with over half (52%) of consumers now showing interest in having video-capable screens in the front cabin and considering screens important to have in their next car.

Forward-thinking automakers like Mercedes and BMW are listening. They are implementing front passenger screens which demand content that can be consumed by passengers when the car is in motion.

Electric vehicles, with the downtime of recharging stops, are also poised to impact the growth of video viewing in-vehicle. The same can be said for the autonomous vehicles on the horizon. Driverless Waymo vehicles are increasingly seen on the roads in LA, San Francisco and more, with passengers already able to stream on the vehicle passenger screens. It may just be a matter of time before video is enabled as well.

But the rise of video, and even gaming, in the car is not a death knell for audio. Recent research revealed that while consumers report ‘greater involvement’ watching video, they had a stronger visceral reaction to audio. From this we can surmise that both are important. And neither can be ignored.

Shifting Gears, and Approaches

Rather than thinking of taking an audio-first or video-first approach, broadcasters can instead pursue an approach that is content-first. We know consumers often search for content, then channel – and if there is one thing broadcast radio excels at, it is providing relevant, locally-oriented content.

Most radio stations are already crossing platforms, and have been for a long time, through their social media presence. That social media presence has been both an access point for consumers to listen to the station’s broadcast content and a means to enjoy a multitude of ancillary content, including video clips. All this activity has the potential to increase listener engagement and loyalty, provide more monetization opportunities and extend reach as content bubbles across social media. Similarly, that content can bubble across an in-vehicle infotainment platform.

Radio station websites offer useful insight into the potential of in-car video. Take radio icons like KROQ and KDKA for example. Interviews, performances, live shows and streams on both station sites showcase the goldmine of content opportunities video offers to radio. In addition to social media, another way to view the in-vehicle video opportunity is to think of the in-dash infotainment platform as a station’s website, rich with metadata, lyrics, visuals and of course, video.

Size Matters

The length of video content, even more so than the quality, is important. Our research shows that consumers prefer short-form video content (under twenty minutes) in the vehicle, which means broadcasters don’t have to worry about competing with high-production value, long-form streaming movies or series. If we use TikTok as an example, then the shorter and more informal the content the better. Stations that have a website and are already doing social media are likely doing reels on Facebook or Instagram – snackable video of existing content to push engagement that is perfectly watchable on a vehicle screen.

Even small, local stations with limited social media resources driving engagement have the ability to quickly create video content. Consider where a local councilman or other personality is in-studio to discuss a community issue. Just a few enhancements to the iPhone and that discussion is video-ready.

Many of today’s top podcasts also broadcast video (think Joe Rogan or Good Hang with Amy Poehler or Club Random), with broad acceptance of their varying levels of sophistication. Of course, ‘video-ing’ radio (or simul-casting) is really nothing new when you consider Howard Stern’s radio show in the 90s or go as far back as the first recorded simulcast – a symphony concert by the BBC – in 1926!

The Road Ahead

Radio is still firmly audio-first, with revenue driven by audio-listening, but broadcasters need to take advantage of the opportunity to reel in video-first or video-second engagers. For a radio programming manager who’s mandate it is to make content compelling enough to find, engage and maintain an audience, video simply offers an extra tool to do this.

As much as a broadcaster might desire an audience who does nothing but listen to their station all day long, the reality of this is becoming less likely in our fractured media world. In that sense it just makes more sense to be able to also reach that same audience through video.

Imagine this scenario: a driver is listening to music on a specific station then stops to recharge, or to wait for their kid’s practice to be over, or for their partner to finish shopping. If that driver opts for video on the console screen, wouldn’t it be better if they can stay seamlessly with the same station to watch a video interview with the artist they were listening to, or an in-studio concert of that artist – all from the station’s existing inventory? Or, if it is “talk” content, the driver can watch a live video feed of the current show. Let’s even say the driver has not been listening to that station, but, when stopped, searches for an artist or a topic and discovers video content from the station. The odds are then pretty good that once on the road again that driver will continue listening to the same station’s audio feed. 

At DTS we are committed to keeping radio front and center in the vehicle dash while also understanding that the dash of the future – and in many cases, today – includes video. We believe radio stations have terrific opportunities to leverage the wealth of video content that already exists in their libraries or to bolster future audio content with new video.

Video should not be seen as replacing radio and audio offerings, but as a way to enhance, extend and deepen station engagement, allowing broadcasters to reach radio audiences with the content and format they want, where most of them are listening: in the vehicle.

Stay up to date on the latest technology and insights from DTS here.

[1] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204183362/en/DTS-Reports-Vehicle-Ownership-and-Role-as-Third-Space-Remain-Important-as-Consumers-Increase-Video-Consumption

[2] https://www.insideradio.com/free/edison-research-s-latest-share-of-ear-finds-am-fm-rules-in-car-listening/article_96218754-009d-11f0-8ee8-939d87ecc44a.html