Audio Listening Reaches an All-Time High: Insights from the 2025 Infinite Dial Report

Last month, Edison Research released the latest data from this year’s Infinite Dial Report, revealing changes in how listeners consume audio and showing continued growth in audio listening. As one of the audio industry’s longest-running and most anticipated annual research studies, the 2025 Infinite Dial included a wealth of new insights on why audio is an essential part of any brand’s media mix.

1. Digital audio listening reaches an all-time high.

79% of the U.S. population – an estimated 228M listeners – reported listening monthly to digital audio, with 73% reporting weekly listening. This includes digital streams of AM/FM radio and online audio content like podcasts and streaming music service.

With 7 in 10 Americans 12+ listening on a weekly basis, digital audio is one of the most consistent ways to reach audiences. However, Edison’s Share of Ear study reports that 44% of audio consumed on digital platforms is ad-free, with most of this being music content. 97% of spoken-word audio on digital platforms is ad-supported vs. only 47% of music content, making spoken word audio like podcasts a dependable platform to reach audiences’ ears.¹

2. Digital audio is making headway with listeners 55+.

Digital audio has become an essential part of American media consumption across all age groups. While age groups 12-34 and 35-54 have been marginally growing year-over-year, the real growth story comes from listeners 55+.

63% of Americans 55+ have listened to digital audio in the past month, up 11% year over year from 52% in 2024. Podcast consumption in listeners 55+ saw similar trends this year, with monthly podcast consumption also growing 11% in this age group.

3. Podcasts have more listeners than ever, and familiarity with podcasting has never been higher.

85% of Americans are now familiar with podcasts, and 73% have ever consumed a podcast, an increase of +6% in the past year. Podcasting is an important part of people’s day-to-day: 55% of Americans – an estimated 158M people – consume a podcast monthly, and 40% (115M) listen every week.

YouTube, Spotify and Apple continue to be the most popular services used to listen. However, the ways users consume podcast content has also expanded. In 2025, the Infinite Dial expanded its benchmark podcast questions to include watching podcasts as a means of consumption. Video podcasts are bringing more people to the medium, with 51% saying they have ever watched a podcast.

4. AM/FM radio still dominates in-car listening.

AM/FM listening remains the in-car listening method of choice, with 74% of people currently using it in their primary vehicle. While AM/FM remains the primary method, digital audio is increasingly popular with ages 18-54. It’s also worth noting that although digital audio listening is rapidly growing among 55+ listeners, AM/FM radio is still more popular with this age group when it comes to in-car use.

5. Smart technology continues to boost in-home podcast listening.

Three-quarters of Americans (75%) —216 million people — now own a smart TV, and other smart devices have ticked up slightly in adoption as well. Nearly all Americans (91%) own a smartphone, 59% use Bluetooth headphones, 35% own smart speakers, and 27% own a smartwatch.

The adoption of smart TVs and smart speakers has allowed audio to become a source of entertainment at home. According to Edison Podcast Metrics, more than half of podcast users report that they have ever listened to a podcast on their TV, and 8.5% listen most often in this way. Plus, of the 101M people that own a smart speaker, 69% report they use their device to listen to audio.²

Sources: (1) Edison Research, Share of Ear, Q1 2025, (2) MRI-Simmons Doublebase Fall 2024 (radio, podcasts, music, audiobooks).

As a leader in the audio industry for over 50 years, NPR has the legacy, reach, and expertise to help brands make the most of their audio buys. NPR programming reaches audio listeners across platforms – radio, podcast, smart speakers, and more – with trusted, high-quality content locally, nationally and globally. In fact, 20% of all time spent listening to podcasts is with public media, and NPR has the #1 and #2 drive-time newsmagazines. With the attention of 43M people each week, NPR is the #1 partner for brands in audio.

Interested in learning more about how audio and NPR can work for your next campaign?

Let’s Talk