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Podcast Listening Hits Record High As Video Helps Expand The Audience

Podcast listening in the U.S. reached new highs over the past year, as the medium continues to expand its audience and frequency of use.

The 2026 edition of Edison Research’s Infinite Dial reports that 58% of Americans age 12 and older listened to a podcast during the past month, equal to roughly 167 million people. That is the highest monthly podcast reach recorded in the study’s history.

Weekly listening is also climbing. Edison says 45% of Americans — about 130 million people — listened to a podcast in the past week, continuing a steady upward trend that has brought weekly listening closer to majority adoption.

Overall awareness of podcasting remains near universal. The report finds 86% of Americans are familiar with the term “podcast,” while 80% have listened to a podcast at some point, equal to an estimated 230 million people who have tried the medium.

Edison VP Megan Lazovick said the steady rise in podcast consumption reflects broader changes in how Americans access audio. “Every category we reviewed so far contributes to the podcast consumption growth — the rise of mobile device owners, the shifting consumer behaviors toward on-demand media led by online audio adoption,” she said during a webinar presenting the findings.

The medium’s reach remains strongest among younger and middle-aged listeners. Monthly listening among Americans age 35-54 has climbed to 68%, while 64% of those age 12-34 say they listened to a podcast during the past month. Yet adoption is also continuing to grow among older listeners, with 44% of those age 55 and older now reporting monthly podcast listening.

The data also shows podcast listening continues to skew male, although the audience gap has narrowed over time. The report shows 62% of men listened to a podcast in the past month compared with 54% of women.

Video is increasingly reshaping how Americans consume podcasts, with the data showing audiences are engaging with the medium across both audio and visual formats. Edison reports 57% of Americans say they have both listened to and watched a podcast, underscoring how the format is evolving beyond its audio-only roots.

“Video podcasts have increased the awareness and reach of the podcast medium,” Lazovick said. The report says 80% of Americans age 12 and older have now listened to or watched a podcast at some point, equal to roughly 230 million people.

The data suggests video is not replacing traditional audio listening but instead expanding the overall podcast audience. Among Americans who have consumed a podcast, the majority say they experience the medium in both formats rather than choosing one over the other.

Lazovick said that dual behavior is becoming central to how audiences engage with podcasts. “Podcasting is a dual-format medium now,” she said.

The shift reflects broader changes in how Americans consume digital media, particularly as video platforms and connected devices become central to entertainment habits. Lazovick noted that the expansion of large-screen viewing environments is also influencing podcast behavior. “The growth of smart TV ownership in the home and the rise of YouTube consumption have a tremendous impact on the way Americans consume media,” she said.

The car also continues to play an important role in podcast consumption as 37% of Americans who have driven or ridden in a vehicle during the past month say they listened to podcasts. Lazovick noted podcasts were not even measured in the car in earlier versions of the study, underscoring how quickly the medium has become a meaningful part of the dashboard audio environment.

Podcast listening in vehicles also skews younger. Among 18–34 year olds, 55% report listening to podcasts while in the car, compared with 47% of those age 35–54 and 18% of those age 55 and older. While AM/FM remains the most widely used audio source in vehicles, podcasts are now a significant part of the in-car listening mix.

At the same time, in-car technological changes tends to move more slowly than other consumer media shifts. Because the average car on the road is roughly 12 years old, Lazovick said adoption of newer audio platforms in the vehicle often lags behind changes happening on smartphones and other connected devices.

Still, connected dashboards are gradually expanding access to digital audio. Edison reports that 41% of Americans say their primary vehicle now has Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and 34% say they actively use those systems—tools that make it easier for drivers to access streaming audio and podcasts through their phones while on the road.

First published by InsideAudioMarketing. Read original here