Edison Research Details Podcasting's In-Car Opportunity

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, July 26, 2023 | 11:24am CT

Edison Research

Since Edison Research began tracking the world of audio with its Share of Ear survey in 2014, respondents don't just note what they listen to, but also where they listen. The firm takes a look at podcasting's share of all listening by location from the latest data (Q2 2023), and something quite interesting emerges.

Of all the audio time spent at work by those age 13+, 14% is with podcasts. Of all the audio time spent at home, 12% is with podcasts. And of all the audio time spent at other places (like the gym, the grocery store, etc.) 11% is with podcasts.

Listening to podcasting is more than 10% of all listening time in every location except for in-car, which is 5%.

What is potentially surprising is that there is lots of evidence that speech-based AM/FM Radio does much better in the car than in other locations. Sports/Talk, in particular, has often had the highest portion of listening in cars as compared to any other radio format.

It could certainly be the case that the speech-content crowd finds what it wants from AM/FM or SiriusXM while driving, and thus isn't motivated to listen to a podcast. It could also be something about driving itself -- most drives are for short distances, for instance - that keeps people from plugging their phones into the car.

The car seems to be an ideal environment for podcasting listening. As such, Edison Reseach this location seems one of podcasting's biggest pathways to growth.