Insights: Radio Continues To Lead The Ad-Supported Pack

This week’s Westwood One blog post looks at the key findings from the recently-released Q3 2019 “Share of Ear” report from Edison Research, the gold standard study of American audio usage. It provides an in-depth look at how Americans consume audio day today and quantifies reach and time spent with all forms of audio.

• AM/FM radio leads ad-supported audio among major buying demos: AM/FM radio’s ad-supported share grows with age. AM/FM radio accounts for 59% of ad-supported time spent among persons 18-34. AM/FM radio’s share of ad-supported time spent balloons to 74% among 25-54s and 82% among persons 35-64.
• Nearly 90% of ad-supported audio in the car goes to AM/FM radio: In the car, AM/FM radio accounts for a stunning 88% of ad-supported time spent with audio. There is a steep drop to the next platform, ad-supported SiriusXM, which has only a 7% share of ad-supported time spent.
• Between AM/FM radio and Pandora, AM/FM radio reaches 95% of the combined audience: An AM/FM radio buy reaches two-thirds of Pandora’s audience at no extra cost. Examining the duplication between Pandora’s audience and AM/FM radio’s audience reveals that most adults only listen to AM/FM radio and not Pandora (85%). The audience that listens to only AM/FM radio and not Pandora is 17X bigger than the audience that listens to only Pandora and not AM/FM radio (85% vs. 5%).
• Between AM/FM radio and Spotify, AM/FM radio reaches 94% of the combined audience: An AM/FM radio buy reaches 57% of Spotify’s audience at no extra cost. The audience duplication between Spotify and AM/FM radio is nearly identical. The audience that listens to only AM/FM radio and not Spotify is 14X bigger than the audience that listens to only Spotify and not AM/FM radio (86% vs. 6%).
• AM/FM radio reaches people on the go; ad-supported streaming listening mostly occurs at home: According to the latest Nielsen RADAR report, over two-thirds (68%) of AM/FM radio listening occurs away from home. This includes in the car, at work, or in other places. AM/FM radio is a lean-forward, engaging medium that allows advertisers to connect with consumers before they make purchases. On the other hand, most listening to ad-supported internet-only streaming (including Pandora and Spotify) occurs at home (64%), according to Edison Research.