Using its Share of Ear data, Edison Research compared the share of daily audio time spent with AM/FM radio listening (including both over-the-air and streams) with non-AM/FM streaming audio from such services as Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music and Apple Music. Adults in the U.S. allocated 71% of their audio time listening to AM/FM radio, more than double the time spent with streaming audio (29%).
Edison went one step further and added a filter to see what share of this audio time is ad-supported versus ad-free. That uncovered an even bigger lead for AM/FM radio vs. streaming audio. More than five times the amount of daily audio consumption among U.S. adults is spent with AM/FM radio, including radio station streams, (85%) than with ad-supported streaming audio (15%). Keep in mind that listening to SiriusXM, YouTube, podcasts, music channels on TV, owned music such as CDs, and audiobooks are not included in these comparisons.
The numbers are revealed in part two of the researcher’s four-part series on the strength of AM/FM radio in the U.S. The goal is to “break it down and shine a spotlight on the strengths of radio that might not be so obvious at first glance,” Edison says.