Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with the status quo.
Overall, radio still enjoys the largest share of ad-supported listening time in the U.S., according to the Q3 release of “The Record” from Nielsen and Edison Research. Once you pair it with podcasts, the combination accounts for 83% of the ad-supported audio day.
That’s compared to only 15% spent with streaming music services, according to the report.
“For media planners, the takeaway is the same as last time, only stronger: An audio campaign built without both radio and podcasts misses the vast majority of the daily ad-supported audio audience,” the Q3 2026 report explains.
But radio did fall in two key age demographics when compared to data from “The Record” earlier this year. Let’s dig deeper.
Format analysis
The News/Talk radio format maintained its position at #1 for over-the-air listening and AM/FM streaming combined, with a 10.2% share among P18+; and did even better among older adults (11.5% among P35+). Within spoken word formats, sports was strong and captured a 4.5% share among P18+, and all news held 2.7%.
Adult contemporary retained its music format lead at 7.1% among P18+. The report noted that country held steady at a 5.8% share among P18+ and rose to 6.4% among P18-34.
In general, music formats grew, according to the research from Nielsen and Edison Research. For example, classic hits outpaced its previous P18-34 share (5.4% to 5.5%), and alternative grew its P18-34 share from 4.2% to 4.4%.
In addition, the new data shows CHR drew a 4.1% share among P18+ and 6.4% among P18-34. R&B posted a 5.0% share among P18+.
When listeners tune in to the digital streams of AM/FM radio stations, spoken word takes a much larger share. News/talk, all sports and all news together account for about 36% of station streaming among P18+.
Younger listeners stream music formats first, according to the quarterly report. Among P18-34, adult contemporary leads station streaming at 13.1%, followed by all sports 11.9%, and news/talk 8.5%.
Meanwhile, alternative (6.9%) and hot AC (6.2%) both take a larger share of station streaming among P25-54 than they do of total radio listening in that demo.
Younger listenership falls
But the new research shows that radio consumption among younger adults (18 to 34) has dipped since the first of the year. According to the Q1 figures released in June, radio accounted for 45% of their ad-supported audio time, while podcasts were at 30%. The Q3 2026 report shows it is now at 42% for radio and rises to 33% for podcasts.
The latest report shows similar drops in radio consumption from the 25–54 age group. Q1 2026 showed radio accounted for 58% of audio listening and podcast was at 25%. In Q3, radio dipped to 55% and podcasting jumped to 27%.
The latest data shows total daily audio consumption in the U.S. in Q3 2026 averaged nearly four hours (3 hours and 55 minutes) of daily listening, which is about the same as last time.
But radio’s dominance in the car continues, according to the report. About 65% of adult radio listening takes place away from home, rising to 73% during weekday drive times. In the car, AM/FM radio accounts for more than 80% of all ad-supported audio time.
Versus other mediums
Radio also leads the race when it comes to reaching U.S. adults each month compared to TV-connected devices, smartphones and live- and time-shifted TV, according to the report.
The latest Q3 2026 “The Record” shows radio reaches 92% of U.S. adults each month; that’s approximately 242 million people. The figure places radio ahead of TV-connected devices (90%), smartphones (87%) and live and time-shifted TV (85%).
Portions of the results from “The Record” are derived from Edison’s “Share of Ear,” while others, such as format rankings, originate from Nielsen PPM cross-market AQH shares.
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