The facts: AM/FM continues to lead US ad-supported audio consumption by a wide margin, according to Edison Research’s Share of Ear Q1 2025 report. The reality: advertisers still significantly underestimate radio’s performance against digital competitors.
In Q1 2025, AM/FM radio held a 68% share of ad-supported audio among Americans 18+, down slightly from 69% in Q2 2024. In-car listening remained strong, declining just one percentage point from 86% to 85%. These marginal shifts contrast sharply with industry perceptions captured by Advertiser Perceptions, which found that marketers believe AM/FM accounts for just 27% of listening.
Meanwhile, Pandora and Spotify were perceived to have a combined 43% share, far higher than their actual combined 10%. In truth, both services each held just 5% of ad-supported audio listening.
The gap between perception and reality remains especially pronounced in the car. AM/FM radio still commands 85% of ad-supported audio time on the road, while podcasting trails at 7% and ad-supported Spotify accounts for just 2%. “Since Share of Ear started in 2014, AM/FM has always led in-car listening, holding steady in the mid to high 80s,” Cumulus Media Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard said, in his analysis of the data via the Audio Active Group. “If you want to reach Americans on the path to purchase, all roads lead to AM/FM radio.”
Podcasting, however, continues to reshape the audio landscape. Among adults 18+, podcasts now represent 20% of ad-supported listening time, up from just 5% in 2017. For adults 25–54, that figure climbs to 26%. Edison’s updated demographic analysis shows the largest daily reach now comes from listeners aged 25–44, with the fastest-growing segment over 45, a notable shift from 2017 when the 18–24 group led podcast consumption.
AM/FM streaming also remains competitive. Among adults 25–54, it has overtaken both Spotify and Pandora in ad-supported share, despite a slight dip from 11% to 10% year-over-year.
Spoken word audio, driven by personality-led content like talk shows and podcasts, continues to grow post-pandemic. The format now holds a 37% share of ad-supported listening, up from 29% pre-COVID. Most of that growth has come from entertainment and commentary-driven programming, while news and sports have shown steadier trends.
