Television and video remains at the base of the survey’s signature media pyramid at 95% use rate for at least an hour daily, while smartphones drew even with AM/FM radio at 91%. About two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they connect phones to cars, while 65% use radio or music apps and 59% use streaming audio. Twenty-one percent listen to podcasts at least weekly.
While the respondents appreciate that radio is free, offers a local angle, and features enjoyable talents, the survey also asked about reasons for any listeners who had reduced their AM/FM consumption. “More audio options in car” led the explanations with 41%, followed by “too many commercials” at 37%. Spending more time listening to Pandora, Spotify, or other streaming services took 31% of the responses.
Podcast listening for this audience was led by men, with 25% listening at least weekly compared with 19% for women. Millennials were the top age bracket with 35% and generation Z had 31%. Sports and alternative were the more popular radio genres for the weekly listening cohort. Additionally, 40% of the weekly listening audience said they are listening to more podcasts. More than three-quarters (77%) listen to podcasts on their smartphones.
Smart speaker ownership has steadily risen in Techsurvey results, reaching 27% in the latest analysis. A growing share of smart speaker owners have bought more than one device, from 42% in 2018 to 49% in 2019. The number of Alexa skills downloaded by Alexa device owners has not risen in kind; the share of owners with no downloaded skills jumped from 43% to 47%. A quarter said they frequently use their smart speakers to listen to AM/FM radio, and 15% frequently access news or talk from a broadcast station. Pandora took an 11% share of frequent use and Spotify had 9%.
