Edison “Share Of Ear”: AM/FM Radio Dominates Ad-Supported Audio While Podcast Audiences Age As Older Audiences Surge

Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of time spent with audio in America. Edison Research surveys 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent for all forms of audio. This week’s Cumulus Media | Audio Active Group® blog includes highlights from the Q3 2025 release.

• AM/FM dominates ad-supported audio with a 64% share, followed by podcasts (20%).
• Ad-supported streaming platforms have audience shares in the low to mid-single digits: Spotify (6%), Pandora (5%), YouTube Music (1%), and Amazon Music (1%).
• Marketers and media agencies significantly overestimate audience shares to Pandora/Spotify and massively underestimate AM/FM radio audiences.
• As older demographics flock to podcasts, the median age of the podcast audience ages sharply from 29 in 2017 to 39.
• You’ll miss two-thirds of America if your audio media plan only has digital audio; Adding AM/FM radio causes reach to surge from 33% to 74% of the U.S.
• To reach consumers on the path to purchase, look no further than AM/FM radio; With an 84% in-car share, AM/FM radio is the “queen of the road.”

To read the full blog post by Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group®, visit: https://www.westwoodone.com/blog/2025/12/08/q3-2025-edison-share-of-ear-am-fm-radio-dominates-ad-supported-audio-while-podcast-audiences-age-as-older-audiences-surge/. To view an 11-minute video on the key findings, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvrWnvl04LQ.