Radio Holds 64% of Ad-Supported Audio in Q2; News/Talk On Top

Radio remains the top dog in US ad-supported audio by far, but Nielsen and Edison Research are once again going on The Record to show podcasting continuing to hold its ground, particularly among younger listeners.

According to The Record Q2 2025 report, Americans listened to an average of 3 hours and 50 minutes of audio each day in the second quarter, up five minutes from Q1. Ad-supported content continued to account for 64% of overall audio listening across platforms, consistent with the previous quarter.

Perhaps it’s serendipitous that AM/FM accounted for 64% of that 64%, although that number is down slightly from 66% in Q1. Podcasting held steady at 19%, maintaining its Q1 gains, while ad-supported streaming services remained at 14%. Satellite radio ticked up to 3%, marking a modest increase from the prior quarter.

Among adults 35 and older, radio commanded 71% of listening time, down from 73% in Q1. Podcasts represented 15% of the share for this age group, with streaming audio claiming about 10%. Among 18–34-year-olds, radio’s share dipped to 45% from 47%, while podcasts remained at 32%. Streaming held flat at 20%, and satellite radio grew from 1% to 3% in this younger demo.

As for top radio formats, News/Talk was still the most listened-to genre in the US during the second quarter of 2025, holding a 10.9% share of total AM/FM listening among adults 18 and older. Adult Contemporary followed at 7.2%, with Country close behind at 6.2%.

For younger audiences, All-Sports formats continued to build momentum, rising to 11.7% of AM/FM streaming among 18–34s, up from 9.8% in Q1. That’s in sharp contrast to the format’s 3 to 4 percent share of total listening in the same demo, showing that sports talk continues to thrive in digital-first consumption environments.

While radio still enjoys a lead, The Record’s data continues to highlight on-demand audio’s stability and stickiness with younger consumers, reinforcing the need for traditional radio brands to adopt cross-platform strategies that balance over-the-air product with growing digital formats.