Morning and afternoons is when a lot of daily podcasts are published, but middays may be the most opportune time. Edison Research says its Share of Ear data shows podcast gets most of its listening between 10am and 3pm. In contrast, it is broadcast radio that delivers its biggest reach among Americans aged 13 and older during the morning commute hours.
“Radio has a historical focus on strong morning shows and many radio listeners have lifelong habituation to listening in the morning whether at home starting the day or driving to work or school,” says Edison in a blog post.
In addition to podcasts, Edison says during the third quarter of 2023 the data shows satellite radio, audiobooks, and owned music also had their best usage numbers during middays.
“SiriusXM might come as a bit of a surprise here, as so much of its image is dominated by Howard Stern and other morning offerings. But the lure of commercial-free music leads many SiriusXM users to report long spans of listening through the midday hours,” reports Edison.
But what may be the biggest surprise of all is that Edison says during the evening (7pm-Midnight) one type of audio that has its best numbers comes from the video-centric YouTube. It says that is likely related to cratering television viewing. “We have to envision people putting YouTube on their Smart TVs or phones and either using it as background to other activities or perhaps actively watching,” Edison says.
The medium that gets its best usage numbers during the afternoon commute hours (3pm-7pm) is one that doesn’t even have entry into vehicles. Edison says television music channels get their most listening during late-afternoon hours.
