Podcast Surge Overtakes AM/FM Radio Among Young Americans

As of August 2025, a major shift has occurred in young Americans' audio listening habits. In the second quarter of the year, AM/FM radio and podcasts both held a 14% share of time spent listening among the 18-29 age group. This marks a significant change from just 11 years ago, when AM/FM radio had a seven-to-one margin over podcast listening in the same demographic.

The surge in young consumers' audio listening was first noticed last year. Across all age groups, the biggest increase in time spent listening to spoken word audio was seen among those aged 13 to 34, who devoted 23% of their listening time to this content - up from 11% in 2014. In contrast, adults 55 and over only saw a slight increase, from 26% to 28% of listening time.

This shift has been driven by the growing popularity of video podcasts, with YouTube emerging as the top destination for podcast consumption in the U.S. Spotify has also made significant inroads, with over 350 million users streaming its estimated 430,000 video podcasts by the second quarter of 2025 - a 20 times faster growth rate than its audio podcast consumption.

The types of podcasts that are most popular have also changed dramatically. While legacy media brands like NPR and public radio dominated the top podcasts in 2014, the landscape is now dominated by alternative shows hosted by comedians, actors, and younger personalities. The Joe Rogan Experience, for example, topped the list of most popular podcasts in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This shift away from traditional radio has had significant financial consequences for the industry. In the second quarter of 2025, Cumulus Media reported a 13% decline in broadcast radio revenue, while iHeartMedia saw a 5.2% drop in the first quarter. As younger listeners abandon AM/FM radio, the industry is struggling to adapt, even as podcast advertising continues to boom, reaching $2.43 billion in 2024.