Among 18- to 34-year-olds, podcasts are becoming increasingly similar to radio in the United States

In the United States, 18–34-year-olds spend almost as much time listening to podcasts as they do to the radio. According to Podnews, which analyses Nielsen’s ‘The Record’ report for the third quarter of 2026, podcasts account for 33 per cent of their audio listening time, compared with 42 per cent for radio.

Across all age groups, radio accounts for 61 per cent of advertising-funded audio listening time, whilst podcasts account for 21 per cent. Radio remains almost three times as popular. Together, radio and podcasts account for 83 per cent of this daily listening time, according to Nielsen. Music streaming accounts for just 15 per cent. The data comes from Edison Research’s Share of Ear study.

American radio reaches 92 per cent of American adults every month – that is, more than 242 million people – and 87 per cent of 18–34-year-olds. Around 65 per cent of listening takes place outside the home, mainly in the car.