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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Ad Supported Audio Clock Dominated By Radio, Podcasts


Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of time spent with audio in America. Edison Research surveys 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent for all forms of audio. This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® blog outlines the key findings from the Q2 2023 report.

The U.S. ad-supported audio clock: Podcasts and AM/FM radio represent the most tuning minutes

Over the years, the visual created by social media guru Lori Lewis “What Happens in an Internet Minute” has been seen and quoted all the time. In the spirit of that visual, we created the “U.S. Ad-Supported Audio Clock.”

This graphic is designed to answer the question, “What happens in an hour of U.S. ad-supported audio?” The clock represents time spent in an hour of ad-supported audio in the U.S. The clock was determined by multiplying “Share of Ear” share of ad-supported audio time spent by 60 minutes.







In an hour of U.S. ad-supported audio:AM/FM radio represents 41.4 minutes of listening
  • Podcasts are 11.4 minutes of listening
  • Ad-Supported Spotify is 2.4 minutes
  • Ad-Supported Pandora is 2.4 minutes
  • Ad-Supported SiriusXM is 2.4 minutes
Podcasts and AM/FM radio represent 52.8 minutes, or 88% of an hour, of ad-supported audio in the U.S.

Concerning ad-supported listening in the car. This graphic is designed to answer the question, “What happens in an hour of U.S. ad-supported audio in the car?”



This visual represents time spent with audio platforms in an hour of in-car ad-supported audio. The clock was determined by multiplying “Share of Ear” in-car shares of ad-supported audio time spent by 60 minutes.







In an hour of in-car ad-supported audio in the U.S.:
  • AM/FM radio represents 51 minutes of listening
  • Podcasts are 4.2 minutes of listening
  • Ad-Supported SiriusXM is 2.4 minutes
  • Ad-Supported Spotify is 1.2 minutes
  • Ad-Supported Pandora is 1.2 minutes
Other Key Takeaways:


  • Time spent with music streaming comes at the expense of owned music, not AM/FM radio
  • A comparison of 25-54 ad-supported audio shares from 2017 to 2023 reveals podcasts have grown 5X and AM/FM radio streaming has grown 2X.
  • AM/FM radio has not lost share to music streaming services. Pandora’s ad-supported share has been cut in half (11% to 5%). Spotify’s ad-supported share is up only marginally (3% to 4%).
  • AM/FM radio has lost share to the digital version of its broadcast (AM/FM radio streaming) and podcasts.
  • The growth in Spotify’s average monthly users does not translate to an advertiser benefit as Spotify ad-supported shares have not grown in seven years
  • Marketers can no longer dismiss podcasts for lacking scale as podcasts’ share of time spent has quadrupled since Q2 2017
  • Powered by podcast audience growth, on-demand ad-supported audio grows
  • On the political front, AM/FM radio dominates ad-supported shares among registered voters
  • AM/FM radio has outsized shares across the entire political spectrum.

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