Last summer Edison Research’s Share of Ear revealed that daily time spent listening to on-demand audio passed the time spent with linear audio, overall, in the U.S. On-demand listening passed linear in every location, except the car.
Driving with the radio on is so commonplace that on-demand audio, such as podcasts and audiobooks, can’t seem to take over the listening environment.
Additionally, time spent with radio (broadcast/satellite) in vehicles accounts for three-quarters of the total daily in-car audio time, regardless of the model of the vehicle.
Newer vehicles come with newer hardware, which tends to increase listening to satellite radio, which often comes with a free trial as part of the purchase. And the thinking is that those who purchase newer cars can afford subscription services.
According to Edison Research’s Weekly Insights, for those with 2020 or newer model year cars, 22% of their daily in-car listening time is spent with SiriusXM, compared with only 4% of daily in-car time spent with SiriusXM by those with cars from model years 2009 and older.
Yet AM/FM broadcast radio accounts for the lion’s share of time spent listening in vehicles regardless of the age of the vehicle. It makes up more than half of in-vehicle listening for 2020 and newer cars (52%) and 2010-2015 model vehicles (56%).
Overall, time spent with linear audio in vehicles from 2009 through 2020 and newer is between 74% and 75%, far outpacing listening to on-demand audio.
