A new milestone in audio consumption has been reached. Edison Research’s latest Share of Ear study reveals that podcast listening among 18- to 29-year-olds now accounts for the same share of daily audio time as AM/FM radio — 14% each.
It’s a significant benchmark for the podcasting industry. When Share of Ear launched in 2014, AM/FM radio held more than a 7-to-1 listening advantage over podcasts in this younger demographic.
Over the past decade, that gap has steadily narrowed, and Edison Research’s new data confirms that younger audiences are now just as likely to spend time with podcasts as they are with traditional broadcast radio.
Despite this parity in daily time spent, AM/FM still reaches a slightly larger portion of the 18-29 audience on a daily basis. However, Edison emphasizes that in the ad-supported audio space, both platforms now hold equal value for marketers trying to reach younger consumers.
While the growth of podcasting has been notable across all age groups, the study points to 18- to 29-year-olds as the leading edge of that shift. Still, both AM/FM radio and podcasting trail behind streaming music and YouTube, which dominate total audio time spent in this age bracket.
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