The news: Amid growing interest in digital streaming and audio placements, choice of platform and channel is splintering, leaving advertisers to choose what level of scale and precision they want campaigns to focus on.

• US adults spent 3 hours and 54 minutes daily listening to audio content across both ad-supported and ad-free platforms in Q4 2025, per Nielsen’s The Record. These platforms included traditional radio, satellite radio, podcasts, and streaming music services.
• Ad-supported audio made up 63% of total listening, showing its dominance in the audio space.

There's an enormous user base of audio listeners for advertisers to target and optimize campaigns for—we expect the number of US ad-supported digital audio listeners will reach 190 million in 2029, up from 180.4 million in 2025.

The numbers: Among time spent with ad-supported content, engagement skewed toward more traditional formats. Listening time broke down into:

• Radio: 61%
• Podcasts: 21%
• Streaming music: 15%
• Satellite radio: 3%

Podcasts and ad-support streaming are most popular with adults ages 18 to 24 (33% and 22% of daily listening time, respectively) while radio is a favorite among those over 35 (67% of listening time).

Why it matters: This audience fragmentation is an ongoing trend—12% of audio listening time went to ad-supported streaming audio and 67% went to radio in Q4 2024, per Nielsen. This leaves advertisers with two strategic paths to choose from.

• Diversify placements across channels to cast a wide net and capitalize on the sheer scale of ad-supported platforms like traditional radio.
• Selectively boost campaigns on specific platforms that offer granular targeting and higher engagement to concentrate on precise audiences and cater to specific demographics.

Digital streaming platforms give detailed insights into who listeners are and how they’re engaging, including behaviors like skips and session length. This data-rich environment offers precise audience targeting across channels in real time.

However, radio lets advertisers tap into passive audiences at scale, including during commute moments, adding consistent exposure and brand awareness. Its reach across older demographics and presence in daily routines make radio a reliable channel for reinforcing brand messages, even without upper-level targeting capabilities.

Implications for marketers: As audio consumption splinters, advertisers need to weigh whether broad awareness or targeted engagement better supports goals. The right strategy will depend on campaign objectives, creative fit, and how well each platform’s audience maps to brand targets.