The recently released Cumulus Media 2023 Audioscape study offers a deep dive into podcasting, smart speakers, and the status of AM/FM radio in those relatively new home speakers.
The entire study, over 70 pages heavily laden with statistical charts, is freely available HERE. As a separate release derived from the big report, Cumulus gives us an angled view into smart speaker ownership, and how AM/FM radio fares on that widely distributed platform. (It is HERE.)
Eight new findings are bulleted by Cumulus. the flattening ownership of home radio serves as a table-setter:
We also learn what other studies have found — that smart speaker ownership is more prevalent in the 18-34 cohort (47%) than in the 55+ group (26%).
AM/FM radio listening via smart speaker has grown 144% since 2019, measured in time spent listening (taken from Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics). This report notes that Cumulus Media station listening coasts above the overall metrics, growing 168% in the same time span.
One key chart for Cumulus illustrates and AM/FM radio has equal or better share of time spent than Spotify, Pandora, audiobooks, podcasts, and several other options in smart speakers, while noting that Amazon Music’s #1 rank is likely a result of Amazon’s market-leading Alexa smart speaker. IN the chart below, AM/FM ties with SiriusXM for top share excluding Amazon Music.
