Nielsen: Adults Spent More Time With Audio In Q2 2025.

Nielsen's just-released audio report for the second quarter of 2025 shows that adults 18+ added five minutes a day to their consumption of all audio-based media, with ad-supported audio still accounting for 64% of total listening, as it did during first-quarter.

According to data from Nielsen and Edison Research for April-June 2025, daily audio consumption among adults 18+ in the U.S. averaged 3 hours and 50 minutes of daily listening across both ad-supported and ad-free platforms such as radio, podcasts, streaming music services and satellite radio, vs. 3 hours and 45 minutes during Q1 2025.

Radio continues to claim the largest share of ad-supported audio listening in Q2, with persons 18+ spending 64% of their daily listening time with radio compared to 19% for podcasts, 14% for streaming audio services, and 3% with satellite radio, based on Edison Research’s “Share of Ear.” While podcasts’ and satellite’s shares are unchanged from first quarter, there’s a 2% shift from radio to streaming audio, with the former off from 66% to 64% and the latter up from 12% to 14%.

For other demographics in Q2, persons 35+ spend 71% of daily ad-supported listening time with radio, vs. 61% for 25-54s, and 45% for 18-34s. Those three demos show podcast listening at 15%, 23% and 32% respectively.

Nielsen’s breakdown of each major radio format’s share of total listening, including both over-the-air and streaming, shows news/talk still ahead among persons 18+ and 35+, while adult contemporary remains the top format among 18-34s and 25-54s. Country, classic hits and classic rock also deliver significant shares across the board.

Looking at station streaming alone, spoken word formats rule all demos, with news/talk ranking first for 18+, 25-54, and 35+, and sports the top format for 18-34s.

“With broad reach and ample ad space, it’s not surprising that audio remains a critical part of the media mix for companies with varying budget sizes,” Nielsen’s report says. “As we continue to see quarter over quarter, audio formats can have powerful reach with audiences of different demographics.”