AM/FM remains the undisputed king of in-car audio in 2026, but the kingdom is facing the fastest digital challenge it has ever seen. That is the central takeaway for radio broadcasters from Edison Research’s annual Infinite Dial study, released on Thursday.
The study, which tracks American media and technology adoption across age, gender, and platform, found among Americans who drive, 73% reported listening to traditional radio in their vehicles in the past month, making it the most-used audio source on the road by a wide margin. Online audio, which includes streaming music services, reached 48%, more than double its 21% figure from a decade ago. Podcasts came in at 37%.
But the data makes clear that the digital migration in-car is no longer a gradual drift; it is accelerating, particularly among younger drivers. Among those aged 18 to 34, 73% listened to online audio in the car in the past month, and 55% listened to podcasts. Radio holds its strongest in-car position among the 55-and-older group, where 81% reported using AM/FM in their vehicles.
That loyalty may no longer translate outside of vehicles, though. Online audio monthly listening among Americans 55 and older jumped from 52% in 2024 to 70% in 2026.
Overall, 81% of all Americans aged 12 and older now report listening to online audio in the past month, an all-time high representing an estimated 233 million people. But while listening among younger age groups has been essentially flat for three years, the growth engine is now firmly in the 55-plus demographic, historically over-the-air radio’s most loyal and heaviest-listening audience.
Among all monthly online audio users, Spotify leads with 36% reach, followed by YouTube Music at 34%, Pandora at 21%, Amazon Music at 19%, Apple Music at 17%, and iHeartRadio at 12%.
As more traditional radio operators see increasing dividends in the podcast space, this year set multiple Infinite Dial records.
80% of Americans aged 12 and older have now listened to or watched a podcast at any point. Monthly consumption reached 58%, and weekly consumption stands at 45%. The 35-to-54 demographic stands out for advertisers: 68% of that age group are now monthly podcast consumers.
Video podcasts continue their rise, fueled by YouTube. Among Americans who have ever consumed a podcast, 57% have both listened to and watched one. Edison’s ongoing Podcast Metrics study found that 39% of weekly podcast consumers name YouTube as their primary podcast service, ahead of Spotify at 20% and Apple Podcasts at 11%. Time-spent data from Edison’s Share of Ear diary study put YouTube at 32% of all podcast listening time. Separately, 91% of Americans have ever used YouTube, and 78% used it last week. “At some point, a distribution strategy that doesn’t account for YouTube isn’t really a full strategy,” Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick said.
However, “Video isn’t replacing podcast audio,” Lazovick commented. “It’s expanding the tent, bringing in new audiences and new behaviors. This is a dual-format medium now.”
Finally, and for the first time, the Infinite Dial included a section on generative AI, with striking results.
93% of Americans are now aware of at least one generative AI brand. It took podcasting more than 20 years to approach this level of awareness. It took AI roughly three years. 57% of Americans have used a generative AI tool at least once. Critically for audio publishers, AI users are disproportionately the same people already consuming digital audio and podcasts.
Among AI users, 87% listened to online audio in the past week, compared to 61% of non-users. More than half of AI users are weekly podcast consumers, versus about one-third of non-users. “The people already using your content are the same people who are earliest to adopt AI,” Lazovick stated. “These are engaged, curious, digitally fluent consumers. That might mean they’re more receptive to change than you think.”
The full 2026 Infinite Dial dataset is available via Edison Research.
