Radio has been the default soundtrack of the commute, the kitchen and the workday for about a century. Podcasts were the newcomer, a niche hobby for people with long drives and strong opinions. The latest numbers suggest that among younger listeners, the newcomer has nearly caught up.
Podcast listening trends describe how much time people spend with podcasts compared with other audio, and a new report puts that time in sharper focus. Nielsen's The Record: Q3 2026, built with Edison Research data, shows podcasts accounting for 21% of ad-supported audio time across U.S. audiences. As Podnews reported on November 9, 2026, among 18-to-34-year-olds podcasts take 33% of listening time compared with 42% for radio.
For podcasters, authors with audio projects and anyone selling sponsorships, these figures matter. They describe where attention is going, which shapes where advertisers spend money. They also point to an audience that is ready for good shows, as long as those shows earn their place in a crowded day.
What Does Nielsen's Q3 2026 Report Say About Podcasts?
Nielsen's report shows podcasts are now a major share of ad-supported audio in the United States. Across all audiences, Podnews notes that podcasts hold 21% of ad-supported listening time, well ahead of ad-supported music streaming, while radio holds about 61%. In other words, radio still has close to three times the share of podcasts overall.
Nielsen says radio and podcasts together account for 83% of daily ad-supported audio time, with streaming music services at 15%. The report also puts total daily audio time at three hours and 55 minutes, which is a lot of listening to compete for.
The report is a quarterly study from Nielsen and Edison Research, and its share figures come from Edison Research at SSRS's Share of Ear survey. It excludes music and music videos on YouTube, which is worth keeping in mind when comparing it with other studies that count YouTube differently.
Why Are 18-to-34-Year-Olds the Big Story?
Younger adults are the group where podcasts have almost caught radio. A nine-point gap, 33% to 42%, is far narrower than the overall picture. For advertisers trying to reach younger listeners, that makes podcasts hard to ignore.
This age group grew up with smartphones, streaming and on-demand everything, so choosing a show over a station feels natural. They are also the listeners who will shape audio habits for the next few decades. A show that wins them now has a chance to keep them as they get older.
Radio is far from finished with this group, though. Nielsen says radio still reaches 87% of adults aged 18 to 34 each month. Reach and time are different measures, and a station can reach a listener briefly while a podcast holds them for an hour. Both numbers matter when you are thinking about your audience.
How Much Has Podcast Listening Grown?
Podcast listening has grown enormously over the past decade. According to Edison Research at SSRS, Americans aged 13 and older spent 167 million hours a week with podcasts in 2016. In 2026 that figure reached 812 million hours a week, an increase of 386%.
The growth has not stopped. Edison says weekly podcast time rose by 39 million hours between 2025 and 2026. It credits the rise to the flood of new shows and the growth of video podcasts, a shift we explored in Video Killed the Audio-Only Podcast Star.
Edison points out that Share of Ear is survey data about time spent, not download or subscriber counts. That makes it useful for comparing podcasts with radio and streaming, because it asks the same people about all their listening.
Video is part of that growth story. Many people now watch podcasts on YouTube, smart TVs and phones, and a growing share of shows publish full video episodes. Because measurement methods treat video differently, the line between a podcast listener and a podcast viewer is getting harder to draw, and the totals may keep rising as studies catch up.
Where Does Radio Still Win?
Radio still wins in the car. Nielsen says about 65% of adult radio listening happens away from home, rising to 73% during weekday drive times. AM and FM account for more than 80% of ad-supported audio time in the car.
Radio also reaches nearly everyone. Nielsen says it reaches 92% of U.S. adults each month, more than 242 million people, along with 92% of Black adults and 93% of Hispanic adults. Nielsen also reports a strong return on ad spending for radio in its own benchmarks.
The lesson for podcasters is not that radio is losing. It is that radio and podcasts serve different moments. Radio is easy to turn on and leave running. Podcasts are chosen on purpose, which means they have to give listeners a reason to press play.
Do These Numbers Apply to Canadian Listeners?
Not directly. The Nielsen report measures U.S. audiences only, so Canadian creators should not assume the same split holds here. Listening habits, radio markets and the mix of French and English content are different in Canada.
The broad direction is still useful. Many Canadian shows draw a large share of their audience from the United States, and advertisers on both sides of the border read these reports. If you pitch U.S. sponsors, these figures are part of the conversation you will be having.
For a Canadian-only picture, check your own hosting analytics for listener location, age where available and listening apps. Your data will tell you more about your audience than any national study.
Canadian creators also have an advantage that U.S. figures do not capture. Shows in French, Indigenous languages and other community languages can serve listeners that national radio often reaches only part of the time. If your audience is underserved by local stations, a podcast can become a daily habit for them in a way a general broadcast cannot.
How Can Creators Use This Data?
Use it in your sponsor pitch. If your show reaches listeners under 35, cite the Nielsen and Edison figures alongside your own download and audience numbers. Advertisers respond well to a clear story about who is listening and why that audience is valuable.
Use it to plan your release schedule. Since radio still owns the car, think about when your listeners actually choose a podcast. Look at your analytics for the days and times when episodes are downloaded and played, and schedule releases so new episodes are waiting when people have time to listen.
Use it to raise your standards. When a podcast competes with professional radio for the same ears, sound quality is part of the comparison. Listeners switching from a polished morning show will notice muddy audio, uneven levels and long, rambling intros. Clean recording, a tight edit and consistent loudness help your show hold its place.
Finally, make sure your show is easy to find. As we discussed in The Podcast Discoverability Crisis, there are millions of shows fighting for attention. Clear titles, strong descriptions and good episode artwork make it easier for new listeners to choose you.
What This Means for Producers and Creators
As a producer, I find these numbers encouraging. They show that people are spending real time with podcasts rather than sampling them. That is a strong case for putting effort into every episode, because the audience is there.
The figures also remind me why radio craft still matters. Good radio producers know how to open strong, keep energy up and respect the listener's time. I bring those same habits to the podcasts I edit, trimming slow starts, cutting tangents that go nowhere and making sure every segment earns its place.
For clients, I often suggest treating the first minute of each episode like a radio cold open. Tell listeners what they will get, make it sound great and get to the good part quickly. With younger listeners making active choices, those first seconds matter more than ever.
There is a lesson for authors here too. Audiobooks and podcasts often share the same listeners, the same apps and the same listening moments. An author who appears as a guest on podcasts, or launches a short companion series for a book, is reaching people who are already in the habit of choosing long-form audio.
What Comes Next for Podcasts and Radio?
If current trends continue, podcasts could match radio's share of listening time among younger adults in the next few years. That would be a milestone for an industry that is only about two decades old. It would also shift more advertising money toward shows that can prove their audience.
Some caution is fair. These are U.S. survey figures, the definitions of podcast listening keep changing as video grows, and different studies measure YouTube in different ways. Creators should use the numbers as a guide, not a guarantee.
The basics still decide who wins a listener's time. Good stories, clear sound and a host worth spending an hour with will always matter more than any chart. Make every episode worth choosing, and keep pressing record!