Podcasts have surpassed AM/FM talk radio as the dominant medium for spoken word audio in the U.S., based on Edison Research’s Share of Ear survey.
Edison Research has tracked these trends for the past decade, observing a steady rise in podcast listening and a decline in spoken radio broadcasts. This year marks the first time podcasts account for 40% of listening time, slightly above radio’s 39%.
Surprisingly, it took this long for podcasts to surpass radio shows. This might highlight the enduring appeal of traditional radio compared to the benefits of podcasting.
We confirmed with Edison that these statistics include video podcasts, reflecting the growing trend of video podcasting on platforms like Spotify and YouTube.
Netflix is collaborating with iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports to introduce podcasts on its streaming service, targeting a contemporary version of daytime talk shows. YouTube reports that viewers watched 700 million hours of podcasts monthly in 2025 on TVs, rising from 400 million the previous year.
However, video podcast popularity doesn’t seem to affect audio-only podcast listening.
Triton Digital’s U.S. Podcast Report for 2025 indicates that 80% of adults consume both audio and video podcasts; 13% stick to audio, and 7% prefer video. Preferences vary by genre, with music, sports, comedy, and news more popular on video, while science, history, arts, fiction, and true crime are mainly consumed via audio.
Edison’s research highlights a surge in video podcasting, with 85% of weekly podcast listeners over 13 engaging with video content, up 7% from 2023. There are around 115 million weekly podcast listeners in the U.S., with only 5% reporting that they exclusively watch podcasts without listening.