Content Niching of AM/FM Vs. Digital-Only Audio Media in Pakistan: an Empirical Analysis of Competitive Distinctiveness in the Content Available on Websites

The study investigates competitive distinctiveness by measuring niches in the content available on websites of traditional AM/FM and Digital-only audio media which is currently addressed by very few studies. Guided by Dimmick's Niche Theory, we niche-analyze content categories on audio media websites (N = 72) in Pakistan by computing breadth, overlap, and competitive superiority. Drawing on data collected through content analysis for the period of June 2021 to July 2021, we found that Digital-only audio websites dominate in terms of niche breadth and competitive superiority in all content categories except news and information as compared to AM/FM websites. Digital-only audio websites have occupied the niche in the Entertainment content category. Higher niche overlap was observed in the news and information category, weakening the players' competitive distinctiveness.