If you are reading this while listening to music, you’re not alone: The average American spends nearly four hours a day with audio.
The latest release of the quarterly “The Record” from Nielsen and Edison Research also says that radio is showing resilience, and the news/talk format continues to lead the way.
Portions of the results are derived from Edison’s “Share of Ear,” while others, such as format rankings, originate from Nielsen PPM cross-market AQH shares.
From the Q1 2026 report, taking into account January–March, the report said that consumers averaged just under four hours of daily listening.
Of those four hours, listeners aged 18-and-over spent 62% of their time with AM/FM radio — spanning both over-the-air and streaming. That’s up slightly from the 61% figure the last report showed for Q4 2025.
Podcasts earned a 20% share of daily time spent, compared to 21% last time. Ad-supported streaming music had 16%, while ad-supported satellite radio channels accounted for 2%.
“AM/FM radio (spanning both over-the-air and digital streaming) and podcasts remain the most impactful outlets for advertisers looking to secure audio real estate,” Nielsen said.
For those ages 18 to 34, radio accounted for 45% of their ad-supported audio time, while podcasts accounted for 30%.
Top formats
Music formats across the board were resilient, the report said, but spoken-word news/talk leads all programming formats.
News/talk maintained its position at #1, securing a 10.9% share of total radio listening for persons 18-and-older, a slight uptick from the 10.8% captured in Q4 2025. Important to note: The total includes both commercial and noncom stations.
Adult contemporary was next with a 7.1% share, which is down a bit from 8.4% in Q4 2025. That can be, in part, attributed to a come down from the annual holiday music programming many AC outlets feature.
Country held steady at third with a 5.8% share, as did R&B with a 5.1% share.
Nielsen felt this tracks with the busy awards season in the first quarter, including The Grammys and the American Music Awards.
The report noted that classic hits grew its 18–34 share from 5.1% to 5.4%.
Mexican Regional stations posted a 3.1% share, up from 3.0% in Q4, and grew 18-34 listening from 3.4% to 3.6%.
You can view the full results here.
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