The slow but steady transfer of radio listening from traditional radio sets to streaming continues. Since 2015, the total portion of radio listening time that comes from streams has more than doubled, from 6% to 13% among those age 13+ in the U.S., according to the latest Share of Ear® data.
There is a demographic story as well. As the graph below shows, the portion of listening to AM/FM radio via streams is increasing at about the same pace among all age groups. Naturally the younger group streams the most, but even radio listeners age 55 and older are now getting 9% of their radio-listening time from streams.
It is worth noting that a large factor in the pace of change is how much radio listening happens in the car. While anyone with a smartphone can listen to radio streams while driving, our estimate is that only about 1% of in-car radio time is via streams.
In 2022 we reported that time spent with all audio on the phone surpassed time spent on a radio set for the first time. No matter who is providing the content, winning on the phone is essential for winning overall.
