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Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Radio Represents 60 Percent of All In-Car Tuning


For the second year, the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® conducted a special auto brand analysis of Edison’s “Share of Ear,” the long running audio tracking study.

Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of time spent with audio in America. Over the last ten years, Edison Research has surveyed 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent for all forms of audio.

“Share of Ear” captures audio use among auto brands’ drivers. Since the inception of the study in 2014, Edison has asked, “What is the model year and brand of your primary car or truck – that is, the one vehicle you spend the most time driving or riding as a passenger?”

This new Edison “Share of Ear” data among auto brand drivers serves two purposes. First, it helps product design and operations teams at auto manufacturers understand the massive use of AM/FM radio among their customers. For the auto brand marketing teams, it reveals how AM/FM radio is an ideal marketing platform to reach American drivers and in-market auto buyers.

Among U.S. drivers, AM/FM radio has a 60% share of all audio time spent in the car

According to the Q1 2024 “Share of Ear,” 60% of all forms of in-car audio minutes go to AM/FM radio. This included both ad-free audio content as well as ad-supported audio. At a 13% share, Sirus-XM’s ad-free music channels place a distant second.


AM/FM radio is the queen of the road with an 86% share of in-car ad-supported audio

Of all the ad-supported listening that takes place in the car, AM/FM radio has a massive 86% share. What better place to build an auto brand with auto intenders than among in-car consumers daydreaming about their next vehicle?


Compared to 2022, the proportion of AM/FM radio listening in the car grew five points in 2023 and is now up another four points in 2024. Over the last two years, the share of AM/FM radio listening occurring in vehicles has jumped sharply from 40% to 49%, returning to the pre-pandemic norms.

According to the Westwood One Blog, The Key Takeaways:
  • For product design and operations teams at auto manufacturers, it is important to understand the massive use of AM/FM radio among their customers
  • For auto brand marketing teams, AM/FM radio is a powerful platform to reach American drivers to build auto brands and reach auto intenders
  • Among all U.S. drivers, AM/FM radio is the ad-supported queen of the road with an 86% share of in-car ad-supported audio
  • The proportion of AM/FM radio listening occurring in-car has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels

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