Weekly Insights 3.29.23 AM/FM Radio Streams v. Ad-Supported Streaming

Listeners age 25-54 spend more time listening to AM/FM radio streams than to ad-supported Streaming 

If you have been following along with this four-part Weekly Insights series, you have seen us share some lesser-known statistics about AM/FM radio and how the medium displays certain strengths, particularly when compared with pureplay streaming services. 

As a reminder, here are our first three findings:

Radio is the #1 ad-supported audio source for all ages in the U.S. 

Listeners age 18+ spend more than twice the amount of their daily audio time with AM/FM radio compared to streaming audio 

AM/FM Radio Leads Listening Outside the Car, Too

For our final point, take a moment to consider that while the term “AM/FM radio” likely conjures up images of listening through a traditional radio receiver, it also includes online streams of stations with a significant audience of their own. In this sense, we categorize AM/FM radio streams (which are supported by ads) as a competitor to ad-supported streaming services.

When we think of radio, we have to think of it as a product, not just a device.

The streams of AM/FM radio stations are incredibly competitive with ad-supported streaming services. Remember that paid streaming services do not connect listeners to advertiser messages, so today we consider only streams that contain ads. 

Looking at a very coveted demo for marketers reveals something about their audio streaming listening behavior, as illustrated by the graph below. When we look at the total time those age 25-54 spend listening to streaming audio supported by ads, we see that more time (52%) is spent with AM/FM radio streams.