New data from Nielsen and Edison Research’s The Record highlights the continued strength of audio in the US media landscape, with nearly 20% of daily media consumption dedicated to audio content in the fourth quarter of 2024, with radio at the forefront.
Nielsen and Edison found Americans spent an average of 3 hours and 54 minutes per day listening to a mix of ad-supported and ad-free platforms, including over-the-air radio, podcasts, streaming music services, and satellite radio.
According to The Record, which tracks shifts in consumer listening habits, ad-supported audio accounted for a significant portion of that time. Traditional radio remained the dominant player, capturing 67% of all daily ad-supported audio time, followed by podcasts at 18%, streaming audio services at 12%, and satellite radio at 3%. These numbers closely mirror the third quarter of 2024, with streaming audio seeing a modest one-point increase.
Among younger adults aged 18-34, the distribution shifts notably. Radio still leads but with a reduced share of 47%, reflecting the widespread use of digital formats for Gen Z and Millennials. Podcasts capture 32% of listening time while streaming audio sees an increased share of 20%. Satellite radio accounts for just 1% of daily listening in this age group, highlighting recent troubles SiriusXM had in attracting younger listeners.
Listeners aged 35 and older show the strongest loyalty to traditional radio, with AM/FM accounting for 74% of their daily ad-supported audio time. Podcasts contribute just 13% of listening time in this group, with streaming audio and satellite radio garnering 9% and 4%, respectively.
As expected, Q4 saw spikes in news and sports talk radio, reflecting interest in national election coverage and major sporting events like the MLB playoffs and NFL season. Another notable annual trend was the surge in Adult Contemporary radio listenership as many stations switched to all-Christmas music formats. The AC format’s audience share increased by 9% among adults 18+ and saw a 17% jump among listeners aged 18-34, rising from 8.4% in Q3 to 9.8% in Q4.
The Record is now available via Nielsen.
