The Record is a quarterly report card on how U.S. consumers spend their listening day, fueled by Nielsen and Edison Research. The Record returns this quarter with a closer look at the time Americans spend with ad-supported audio, and at the medium that still leads it: radio.
Nielsen Q3 2026 U.S. Audio Listening Trends Analysis, based on Nielsen + Edison Research Share of Ear® data). The Record is a quarterly report card on how U.S. consumers spend their listening day, fueled by Nielsen and Edison Research. Released on Friday, The Record returns this quarter with a closer look at the time Americans spend with ad-supported audio, and at the medium that still leads it: radio.
- U.S. adults spend nearly 4 hours per day (3 hours 55 minutes) with audio. Time is fragmented across platforms and devices, but the ad-supported core remains stable.83% of daily ad-supported audio time goes to radio + podcasts.
- Only 15% goes to streaming music services (analysis excludes YouTube music/music videos).
Radio’s strength is unmatched reach:
- Monthly reach: 92% of U.S. adults (>242 million people).
- Ahead of TV-connected devices (90%), smartphones (87%), and live/time-shifted TV (85%).
- Consistent across demos: 92% of Black adults, 93% of Hispanic adults, 87% of adults 18–34.
Listening location favors out-of-home (especially the car):
- ~65% of adult radio listening is away from home (mostly in vehicles).
- Rises to ~73% during weekday drive times.
- In the car, AM/FM accounts for >80% of ad-supported audio time.
Nielsen notes radio’s strong ROI in its Global Compass benchmarks (weighted ROI of $2.00, second only to social and ahead of TV, display, search, and CTV).
Format Performance (Share of Total Radio Listening)
Shares include both over-the-air and AM/FM station streams. Q3 showed steady music listening, a strong sports season (football kickoff + baseball pennant races), and continued news strength.
Spoken-word leaders:
- News/Talk: No. 1 overall at 10.2% (P18+); 11.5% (P35+).
- All Sports: 4.5% (P18+); 4.6% (P25–54).
- All News: 2.7% (P18+); 3.0% (P35+).
Music formats:
- Adult Contemporary (AC): Top music format at 7.1% (P18+, matching Q1 2026); strongest among younger listeners at 7.9% (P18–34).
- Country: 5.8% (P18+); rose to 6.4% (P18–34).
- Classic Hits: 5.8% (P18+); 5.5% (P18–34, up slightly from Q1).
- Classic Rock: 5.2% (P18+).
- Urban Adult Contemporary / R&B: 5.0% (P18+).
- Pop CHR: 4.1% (P18+); 6.4% (P18–34).
- Other notables: Hot AC strong in 25–54 and 18–34; Alternative up among younger demos; Urban Contemporary/Hip-Hop/R&B at 2.8% overall (higher among 18–34); Mexican Regional at 2.6% overall (higher in 25–54).
Among 18–34, Country and Pop CHR each hit 6.4%; AC leads music; Hot AC and Classic Hits are competitive.
Streaming vs. Over-the-Air Differences
- News/Talk + All Sports + All News ≈ 36% of station streaming (P18+), roughly double their ~17% share of total radio listening.
- News/Talk: 22.1% of station streaming (P18+); 24.2% (P35+).
- All Sports: Top streamed format among P25–54 at 13.0%; 10.3% overall (P18+).
- Younger streamers (P18–34) favor music first: AC leads station streaming at 13.1%, followed by All Sports (11.9%) and News/Talk (8.5%). Pop CHR and Urban AC also over-index.
Key Takeaways and Implications
- Radio + podcasts dominate ad-supported audio — The 83/15 split has been consistent and strengthened the case for including both in media plans.
- Reach remains radio’s superpower — 92% monthly adult reach, strong across ethnic and age groups, and heavily tied to the car (the environment where many purchase decisions occur).
- Spoken-word is resilient and streaming-friendly — News/Talk leads overall and dominates streams (especially among older listeners). Sports benefited from seasonal events.
- Music is stable with younger-demo nuances — AC is the music leader and performs well with 18–34. Country, Pop CHR, Classic Hits, and Hot AC show strength or growth with younger audiences.
- Platform differences matter — Over-the-air remains broad-reach music and news; station streams skew more spoken-word. Digital extensions of AM/FM amplify talk and sports.
- In-car dominance persists — Even as dashboards evolve, AM/FM holds the majority of ad-supported in-car time, supporting ongoing industry advocacy around radio in vehicles.
Overall, Q3 2026 data portrays a stable, high-reach medium in which radio (over-the-air + streams) continues to anchor ad-supported listening alongside podcasts, with format performance reflecting both evergreen appeal (News/Talk, AC) and seasonal/demographic shifts (sports, younger music preferences). The results align with prior quarters while underscoring radio’s unique combination of scale, location relevance (especially the car), and format diversity.