Smart Speaker Popularity Going Full Steam Ahead

In this week’s blog post, Westwood One examines the role of smart speakers and podcasts in the audio ecosystem in the just-released Westwood One 2019 Audioscape report using data from Edison Research and Advertiser Perceptions.

Here are a few of the key findings:

• AM/FM radio and Amazon Music lead in share of smart speaker time spent listening: In Q2 2019, AM/FM radio (18%) and Amazon Music (17%) lead in share of listening on a smart speaker, according to Edison Research. This is a result of AM/FM radio stations developing voice-activated applications to enable listening on smart speakers and their aggressive promotion of Alexa and Google Home listening.
• Smart speaker ownership growth isn’t slowing down: The number of Americans who reported owning a smart speaker increased threefold from Q2 2017 to Q2 2019. According to Edison Research’s “Share of Ear,” in Q2 2019, 30% of Americans reported owning a smart speaker compared to the 10% in Q2 2017.
• Marketers and agencies are immersing themselves in voice-activated advertising:According to Advertiser Perceptions, in a little over a year, the amount of marketers and agencies utilizing smart speaker opportunities doubled from 18% in January 2018 to 36% in March 2019. Among media agencies and brands who haven’t started using smart speaker applications, their likelihood to use these marketing initiatives within the next 6 months has increased. This year, consideration and especially intention to become involved in voiced-activated opportunities have grown by double digits.
• Millennial podcast growth is powered by ethnic and female audiences: In Q2 2019, Millennial 18-34 podcast daily reach has grown +13% over the prior year (15.3% to 17.3%). Driving this growth is 18-34 African Americans, Hispanics, and women. These segments are growing faster than the overall 18-34 demo. In Q2 2019, the daily reach among Millennial African Americans (20.2%) and Hispanics (19.6%) outpaced the daily reach among total Millennials.