Spoken-word audio platforms remain a key part of how Americans aged 13 and older spend their daily audio time, making up 25% of all daily audio consumption.
The only source tracking this in detail is Edison Research's Share of Ear®, which measures time spent with spoken-word audio (like talk, news, sports on radio, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.) and the platforms used.
This week's insight highlights a major historic shift in spoken-word listening habits.
Back in 2015, AM/FM radio dominated, accounting for 75% of all time spent with spoken-word audio sources. It led by a massive 65 percentage points over podcasts, which held just 10% at the time.
Since then, quarter after quarter and year after year, time spent with AM/FM radio for spoken-word content has steadily declined, as listeners have increasingly shifted to podcasts.
By Q4 2025, the landscape has flipped: podcasts now claim 40% of daily spoken-word listening time, narrowly edging out AM/FM radio at 39%.
For the first time, podcasts have overtaken AM/FM radio as the leading platform for spoken-word audio among Americans 13+. The on-demand nature of podcasts has caught up to—and slightly surpassed—traditional broadcast radio in this category.