As we move further from the peak of the pandemic, shifts in audio listening habits attributed to COVID-19 may not end up being the “new normal” for radio. This means the industry has a growing opportunity to re-engage commuters and on-the-go audiences.
Edison Research data highlights these changes by examining daily audio listening patterns among the US population aged 13 and older, focusing on trends before, during, and after the pandemic.
At the height of the pandemic, home audio listening experienced a dramatic surge. With lockdowns and remote work becoming commonplace, daily minutes spent listening at home skyrocketed from 116 in 2019 to a decade-high of 152 in 2022. As of Q4 2024, stands at 127 minutes per day – more in line with 2017 and 2018.
That at-home listening could regress back to 2019’s low in 2025, given a new push by many holdout companies and the federal government to force employees to return to the office.
Out of the home, the pandemic brought a sharp drop in listening, from 114 minutes per day in 2019 to just 91 in 2020, reflecting mass stay-at-home orders related to COVID’s initial outbreak. While 2024 shows some continued recovery, out-of-home listening again dropped under pre-pandemic levels to 107 minutes per day. This marks a decline from 2023’s total as well after two years of growth.
This comes even as Smart TVs become new household hubs for audio as smart speaker popularity continues to plateau, despite the efforts of companies like Amazon to reinvigorate the platform.
Finally, although home listening remains the dominant category, the gap between home and out-of-home audio consumption has narrowed compared to the height of the pandemic. In 2021, home listening outpaced out-of-home listening by over 50 minutes per day. By 2024, this difference has decreased, reflecting a gradual return to pre-pandemic activities, but not to the same extent as before 2020.
As out-of-home listening slowly recovers, the slow rebound underscores the importance of radio diversifying its content delivery methods to meet listeners wherever they are – whether at work, in transit, or at home.
