6 New Findings About Podcast Listeners, Smart Speaker Owners

Audio is a huge part of life for Americans. While AM/FM radio dominates the audio landscape with mass reach and significant time spent, podcasts and smart speakers are fast growing platforms representing engaging environments for brands, according to RadioActive at Westwood One Blog.

The recently released Cumulus Media 2022 Audioscape examines the podcast consumer and smart speaker trends using data from Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” Report from Q4 2021.

Here are the key findings:

• Podcasts and smart speakers have opportunities for growth in markets 51+ where they are underrepresented
• Since 2016, the two fastest growing audio platforms are podcasts and AM/FM radio streaming
• 38% of Americans have a smart speaker as ownership growth has moderated
• The median age of the podcast audience holds at 33 despite massive audience growth
• Most podcast listening occurs at home throughout the day
• Podcast listeners are super fans of audio, spending +41% more time with audio than the average American
• It is not immediately clear why markets 51+ are opportunities for growth for podcasts and smart speakers but it is worth further study and examination.
• Since 2016, the two fastest growing audio platforms are podcasts and AM/FM radio streaming
• Over the last five years, podcasts’ share of ad-supported audio has tripled from 4% to 13% among persons 25-54. AM/FM radio streaming shares have nearly doubled (6% to 10%).

Other surprises:

• Amazingly, the ad-supported share of AM/FM radio streaming (10%) is nearly as big as the combined audiences of Pandora and Spotify (11%)!
• Over-the-air AM/FM radio remains the dominant audio platform at a 61% share of ad-supported audio.
• Pandora’s share has dropped steadily from an 11% in 2016 to 8% in 2021.
• Over five years, Spotify’s ad-supported shares have been stagnant at a 3% share. (Spotify’s subscription service, which is advertising free, has soared 5X since 2016.)
• SiriusXM’s ad-supported shares are up modestly (2% to 4%) but are still very small.

➤Click here to view an 11-minute video of the key findings.

➤Click here to download your copy of the Cumulus Media 2022 Audioscape.