AM/FM still dominates in-car listening

It still comes back to AM/FM radio.

Its in-car share of 86% reinforces AM/FM’s standing as the primary way to reach consumers on their path to purchase, Cumulus Media/Westwood One Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard writes in a blog post, noting that the proportion of AM/FM radio in-car listening has surged, returning to pre-pandemic norms.

Those are among Bouvard’s key takeaways from the latest Share of Ear study, which surveys 4,000 each year to gauge daily reach and time spent with all forms of audio.

In terms of ad-supported audio, Edison’s Q4 2024 data also reveals that ad-supported digital audio reaches less than a third of the U.S., with AM/FM reaching two-thirds of the nation. When those are combined, ad-supported digital audio and AM/FM reach nearly three-quarters (74%) of the U.S. daily.

The research also shows that AM/FM radio also has a big advantage when it’s pitted against ad-supported versions of Spotify and Pandora. In total AM/FM radio and podcasts make up almost 90% of tuning minutes on the U.S. ad-supported audio clock.

Breaking down an hour’s worth of U.S. ad-supported audio consumption (determined by multiplying “Share of Ear” ad-supported audience shares by 60 minutes), AM/FM radio represents 41.2 minutes of listening. AM/FM is followed by podcasts (11.1 minutes); ad-supported Spotify (3 minutes); ad-supported SiriusXM (2.8 minutes); and ad-supported Pandora (1.9 minutes). In a typical hour, 87% of U.S. ad-supported audio consists of podcasts and AM/FM radio.

In terms of in-car ad-supported audio, the research shows that AM/FM radio represents the vast majority of tuning minutes. Here’s the breakdown: AM/FM radio (51.7 minutes of listening); podcasts (3.8 minutes of listening); ad-supported SiriusXM (2.1 minutes); ad-supported Spotify (1.2 minutes); and ad-supported Pandora (1.3 minutes).

Overall, AM/FM radio has a dominant 69% share of ad-supported audio. Podcasts are second (19%), followed by ad-supported Pandora (5%), ad-supported Spotify (5%), and ad-supported Sirius XM (3%).