The percentage of Americans who have consumed a podcast has reached an all-time high, according to The Infinite Dial® 2025, released by Edison Research with support from Audacy, Cumulus Media, and SiriusXM Media. This latest installment is part of the longest-running annual survey of digital media consumption in the United States.
Now in its 27th year, The Infinite Dial is widely recognized as a trusted industry benchmark for media consumption habits. Presented by Megan Lazovick, Edison Research Vice President, alongside James Cridland, Editor of Podnews, the study highlights critical insights into podcast consumption, online audio trends, in-car audio usage, smart speaker usage, social media behaviors, and other digital media habits.
Key Findings from The Infinite Dial 2025:
Podcast Consumption Reaches an All-Time High
70% of Americans age 12+ have listened to a podcast.
51% of Americans age 12+ have watched a podcast.
73% of Americans age 12+ have consumed a podcast in either audio or video format, representing an estimated 210 million people.
Podcasting achieves new heights with 55% of Americans age 12+ now being monthly consumers.
Video Integration is Expanding Podcast Reach
48% of Americans age 12+ have both listened to and watched a podcast.
According to Edison Podcast Metrics, YouTube is the service used most often to listen to podcasts with 33% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners using the service.
Monthly podcast listening is higher among men (57%) than it is women (52%).
Lazovick says, “The reality is that the overwhelming majority of people who watch podcasts will say that they are podcast listeners. But as more people discover the platform via video, it’s smart to think about it as consumption instead of just listening. That is not intended at all to undercut the magic of audio-only content. There’s room for both video and audio in the world of podcasts.”
Public Opinion Supports Social Media Regulation
Social media reaches 86% of Americans, an estimated 248 million Americans.
Nearly half (48%) of Americans express support for banning social media access for anyone under the age of 16.
Online Audio Reaches All-Time High
79% of Americans age 12+ listen to online audio monthly, an estimated 228 million people.
Among Americans aged 55+, listening preferences for the online audio brands they use most often are more evenly distributed across multiple brands.
Car Audio Continues Its Digital Shift
Among Americans age 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the past month (88%), 40% have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and 33% actively use one of these systems.
Among Americans age 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the past month (88%), 28% have Apple CarPlay, with 22% actively using it.
Among Americans age 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the past month (88%), 19% have Android Auto, with 13% actively using it.
“As someone who has been using Infinite Dial since I was working at the original Virgin Radio in London, I’ve watched digital audio evolve from a niche to mainstream,” says Cridland. “These numbers don’t just inform strategy – they validate the direction our industry has been moving.”
Other findings include:
Smart TVs are now in three-quarters of Americans’ homes.
X usage has slightly increased among Americans age 18+, with the rise primarily driven by Republicans at 25%. Usage among Democrats is up by one percentage point to 22%, while it remains steady at 21% among Independents.
Among the 31% of monthly TikTok users, 39% say they would use Instagram more often if TikTok were banned.
About The Infinite Dial
The Infinite Dial is America’s longest-running survey of digital media consumer behavior, tracked annually since 1998. The study provides important benchmark measures around usage and behavior around streaming audio, podcasting, radio, smart audio, social media, and more. Annual results and trending data from The Infinite Dial are relied upon by its audience of content producers, media companies, agencies, and the financial community.
How the study was conducted
In January 2025, Edison Research conducted a national survey of 5,020 individuals age 12 and older. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish using 1,006 telephone surveys and 4,014 online interviews. The data was weighted to national 12+ U.S. population figures.
About Edison Research
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients worldwide, having conducted research in 66 countries. Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial® series has been the survey of record for digital audio, social media, podcasting, smart speakers, and other media-related technologies since 1998. The company’s Share of Ear® survey is the only single-source measure of all audio in the U.S. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world, producing the only survey-based data on podcast listening in the U.S, Edison Podcast Metrics, and has conducted research for many companies in the space. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of election data, race projections and analysis to the National Election Pool (ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News).
About Audacy
Audacy, Inc. is a leading scaled, multi-platform audio content and entertainment company that connects with 200 million consumers. Powered by its exclusive, premium audio content that includes unrivaled leadership positions in news and sports radio, Audacy operates one of the country’s two scaled radio broadcasting groups, a rapidly growing direct-to-consumer digital audio platform, multiple audio networks, a major event business and a leading, award-winning podcast studio and network. Learn more at www.audacyinc.com, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) is an audio-first media company delivering premium content to a quarter billion people every month — wherever and whenever they want it. Cumulus Media engages listeners with high-quality local programming through 400 owned-and-operated radio stations across 84markets; delivers nationally-syndicated sports, news, talk, and entertainment programming from iconic brands including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, Infinity Sports Network, AP News, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and many other world-class partners across more than 9,500 affiliated stations through Westwood One, the largest audio network in America; and inspires listeners through the Cumulus Podcast Network, its rapidly growing network of original podcasts that are smart, entertaining and thought-provoking. Cumulus Mediaprovides advertisers with personal connections, local impact and national reach through broadcast and on-demand digital, mobile, social, and voice-activated platforms, as well as integrated digital marketing services, powerful influencers, full-service audio solutions, industry-leading research and insights, and live event experiences. For more information visit www.cumulusmedia.com.
About SiriusXM Media
SiriusXM Media brings advertisers closer to the stories and music that listeners love, creating deep connections between fans and brands. The gateway for marketers to the largest digital audio advertising ecosystem in North America, SiriusXM Media includes extensive Streaming and Podcast Networks featuring exclusive access to music, talk and podcast advertising across SiriusXM, Pandora, SoundCloud, audiochuck, Crooked Media, NBCUniversal, and much more. As the longtime leaders in audio advertising, only SiriusXM Media delivers audiences tailored brand experiences courtesy of sonic creative agency Studio Resonate, while making it easy for every marketer to produce, plan, buy, and measure across its entire audio universe, with innovative ad tech solutions powered by AdsWizz. For more information, please go to: https://www.siriusxmmedia.com/.
