A deeper dive into Edison Research’s Q2 2025 “Share of Ear” report in Westwood One’s weekly blog continues to make a strong argument for AM/FM radio vs. other ad-supported audio options, including YouTube Music, which has become a significant source of audio streaming.
According to Edison, based on time spent with ad-supported audio among persons 18+, AM/FM takes a 66% share followed by podcasts’ 20%, with ad-supported Spotify (5%), Pandora (4%), SiriusXM (3%), YouTube Music (1%) and Amazon Music (0.4%) making up the rest. Across all key demographics, AM/FM remains dominant, with YouTube Music managing a 2% share among adults 18-43, 18-49 and 25-54.
Whether looking at in-vehicle or smart speaker listening, the trend is basically the same: AM/FM radio is far ahead of all other options — especially for car listening, with an 85% share — while ad-supported YouTube Music delivers a 1% and 2% share, respectively.
“YouTube Music’s fantastical audience claims far exceed audience reality,” Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says. “Agencies report YouTube Music is making claims of massive audiences to their ad-supported audio service. The word ‘billions’ gets thrown around a lot. It is unclear the metric or countries represented in these claims, [as] Edison Research reveals YouTube Music’s ad-supported audiences are exceptionally small.”
How important is streaming of AM/FM radio itself? Edison shows that AM/FM digital streaming’s share has nearly doubled over the past eight years, from 7% in Q2 2017 to 13% currently. The strongest listening via streaming happens from 7pm to midnight, with hourly shares as high as 28.8%, while the lowest are during the drive home, with shares hitting a 5.7% low from 5-6pm.
Edison’s breakdown of daily reach among persons 18+ listening to AM/FM radio shows 7% only listen to the stream and not the over-the-air broadcast, 9% listen both to the stream and over the air, and 84% listen only to the over-the-air platform and don’t listen to the stream. Among those who stream AM/FM, one-third only listen via the stream, while two-thirds also listen both over the air and to the stream.
The takeaway for advertisers? “Adding AM/FM radio streaming to your over-the-air AM/FM radio campaign generates incremental reach and amplified frequency,” Bouvard says.
Edison also shows that AM/FM radio reaches 60% of America in a typical day, vs. digital audio’s 31% daily reach, with the former making a key difference in media plans. “The reality is when you put AM/FM radio into a digital audio plan, reach soars,” Bouvard says. “The addition of AM/FM radio causes a massive lift in daily reach. You cannot check the box of an audio media plan that only contains digital audio – you’ll miss 70% of America.”