AM/FM Radio is the #1 Ad-Supported Audio Source for All Ages in the U.S.

The Infinite Dial, with support from Amazon Music, Wondery, and ART19; and yes, it showed the dominance of digital audio – but radio has a stronghold in many spaces, including in-car listening and among ad-supported audio choices.

The finding on the power of traditional AM/FM radio in the U.S. is: AM/FM Radio is the #1 Ad-Supported Audio Source for All Ages in the U.S. Listeners age 13+ in the U.S. spend 59% of their daily, ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more time than with all other ad-supported audio sources combined, including YouTube, podcasts, and ad-supported streaming services.

AM/FM radio is the top ad-supported audio source for all ages in the U.S., including Gen Z (age 13-24) who spend 33% of their daily ad-supported audio time with AM/FM radio, more than with any other ad-supported platform.

The finding comes from our Share of Ear® dataset and focuses on ad-supported audio. It’s important to remember that only a portion of audio sources are available to advertisers.

Gen Z audio consumers are well-known to favor their mobile phones for audio consumption, so it may come as a surprise to learn that 33% of the total time they spend on a daily basis with ad-supported audio goes to AM/FM radio, which includes over-the-air broadcasts and streams.

When considering only ad-supported audio, the next closest platform for Gen Z is YouTube, which is where they spend 31% of their daily audio time. Streaming services represent 20% of their total ad-supported audio time, and podcasts account for 15%.

Beyond Gen Z, AM/FM radio remains the number one source of ad-supported audio for all other ages. Americans age 25-54 spend over half of their daily audio time (55%) with AM/FM radio (including over-the-air and streams), and Americans age 55+ spend the overwhelming majority of their ad-supported audio time (78%) with AM/FM radio.

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