Podcasts Lead AM/FM in Spoken-Word Listening, Marking a First
By Edison Research
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Spoken-word audio platforms play an important part in how Americans 13+ spend their day with audio, accounting for 25% of all daily time spent with audio. Share of Ear® from Edison Research is the only audio measurement source that captures how much time Americans spend listening to spoken-word audio sources as well as the platforms they use to do so. This week’s insight focuses on a historic change in how Americans 13+ listen to spoken-word audio daily.
In 2015, AM/FM radio accounted for 75% of the time Americans spent with spoken-word audio sources. AM/FM radio was not only the most dominant spoken-word audio listening platform, but it was fully sixty-five percentage points higher than podcasts, which accounted for 10% of listening time back then. Quarter by quarter and year over year, time spent using AM/FM radio to listen to spoken-word audio has declined significantly and shifted to time spent with podcasts. As of Q4 2025, 40% of time spent listening to spoken-word is now spent with podcasts and 39% of time is spent with AM/FM radio. Not only does radio not beat podcasts by a significant margin, it now trails the on-demand platform for spoken-word audio listening.
Spoken-word audio has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Consumers now listen using different platforms, devices, and services to engage with spoken-word audio. In addition to capturing how Americans are currently engaging with audio, Share of Ear® also illustrates the seismic changes that occurred in the audio landscape. Contact our team today to learn more about a subscription.
