Radio’s weekly reach still tops 90 percent in three South-East Asian countries despite the most intense media competition ever, according to the latest data by Nielsen.

In the Philippines, radio regularly commands a 98 percent weekly reach, while in Malaysia the figure is 94 percent and 92 percent for Singapore, according to the Radio Audience Measurement Survey Wave #2 conducted in September 2014.

Research is carried out nationwide in Malaysia and Singapore but only across Metro Manila in the Philippines.

Although reach remains much higher in Manila, time spent listening (TSL) in the Pearl of the Orient is much lower than the rest of the region with audiences tuning in for an average of just 9.54 hours per week.

TSL is highest in Bangkok, Thailand at 18.47 hours, followed by Singapore at 18.12 hours, Malaysia at 18.1 hours and Indonesia with 15.59 hours.

Out of the five South-East Asian countries survey by Nielsen, radio in Indonesia scores the lowest weekly reach at just 44 percent.

Bangkok in Thailand is second lowest in reach with 78 percent of the city’s population tuning in every week.