Edison Research announces the latest data from its annual survey The Infinite Dial – with support from Audacy, Cumulus Media, and SiriusXM Media – and reveals that “the portion of Americans who listen to any kind of online audio, and the portion who listen to podcasts, have both reached new record highs.” Some of the key findings include: 1) Podcast listening reach is up overall: 47% of the U.S. 12+
population has listened to a podcast in the last month, up 12% year over year; 34% of the U.S. 12+ population has listened to a podcast in the last week, up 10% year over year. Despite changes in how downloads are being delivered and counted, listening levels are up markedly; 2) Growth in podcast reach is driven by large increases among the number of female listeners: 45% of women in the U.S. age 12+ have listened to a podcast in the last month, up from 39% in 2023, an increase of 15%; 32% of women in the U.S. age 12+ have listened to a podcast in the last week, up from 27% in 2023, an increase of 19%; 3) Online audio listening hits the highest mark ever: 76% of those in the U.S. age 12+ have listened to online audio in the last month, an estimated 218 million people, 90% of those age 12-34 and 85% of those age 35-54 have listened to online audio in the last month; 4) 70% of those age 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month currently ever listen to radio as an audio source in their primary car; 55% listen to online audio and 32% listen to podcasts; and 5) 60% of those age 12+ have a traditional AM/FM radio set in their home. See the full study results here.
