Jacobs Media Reveals Techsurvey 2025 Results

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, April 15, 2025 | 4:38pm CT

Techsurvey 2025

Data released Tuesday during a webinar for Jacobs Media Techsurvey 2025 highlights a significant shift in radio consumption patterns over the last decade, with fewer listeners tuning into AM/FM radio via traditional methods and more opting for digital platforms. The survey indicates that in 2013, a robust 85% of respondents listened to their favorite radio brands through terrestrial broadcast radio. By 2016, this number had slightly decreased to 77%.

The downward trend continued, dropping to 59% by 2025. In contrast, digital consumption has seen substantial growth. In 2013, only 14% of listeners preferred digital platforms; this figure increased to 20% in 2016 and surged to 39% by 2025, marking a 19% rise over the decade.

Interestingly, while digital listening habits have expanded, the ownership of smart speakers has not seen parallel growth. The survey reveals that smart speaker ownership remained flat in recent years. As of 2025, 39% of respondents owned a smart speaker, mirroring the percentage from 2024 and showing a marginal 1% increase from 2023. Since 2020, there has been only a 4% overall increase in smart speaker ownership.

Demographic insights show that 44% of Gen X respondents own smart speakers, the highest among the groups, closely followed by millennials at 43%. Gen Z and baby boomers reported ownership rates of 36% and 34%, respectively. Notably, 40% of music station listeners own smart speakers, compared to 32% of those who prefer spoken word stations.

Despite the stagnation in smart speaker ownership, digital radio consumption continues to grow, although the platforms of choice are evolving. Station websites, once the dominant choice for digital listening, have seen a decrease in usage from 68% in 2020 to 60% in 2025. Meanwhile, usage of station mobile apps has generally increased, rising from 42% in 2020 to 48% in 2025, although this marks a decline from a peak of 51% in 2024.

Smart speaker usage for radio listening has remained relatively stable, with a gradual increase from 22% in 2020 to 28% in 2025. This slow growth suggests a steady but cautious adoption among listeners, as reflected in the overall data from the Jacobs Media Techsurvey 2025.