US Digital Audio Forecast Overview 2024

New Projections for Total Listenership, Time Spent, Podcasts, Subscription Revenues, Spotify, and More

Report by Ethan Cramer-Flood  | Nov 18, 2024
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Hundreds of millions of people listen to digital audio, and most of them also listen to podcasts
Paid subscribers and subscription revenues are the backbone of the digital audio industry
Daily time with digital audio will account for more than 10% of total time spent with media
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
High audio listenership and time spent this year means limited growth. Subscription revenues will be healthy, as most listeners pay to limit ads. And Spotify will lead in nearly every metric, though several platforms are doing well.
Topics
Podcasts
Time Spent with Media
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Hundreds of millions of people listen to digital audio, and most of them also listen to podcasts
Paid subscribers and subscription revenues are the backbone of the digital audio industry
Daily time with digital audio will account for more than 10% of total time spent with media
Sources
Media Gallery

Over 228 million people regularly listen to digital audio in the US, and most of them also listen to podcasts. Active listeners spend a ton of time each day with these media, and most of them pay for subscriptions as well. However, growth has slowed considerably in almost every digital audio metric we track.

Key Question: What is the outlook for digital audio and podcasts across various metrics, channels, and platforms?

US Digital Audio Listeners, by Platform, 2024 (millions)
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Key Stat: Spotify will have over 50 million more listeners than its next closest digital audio competitor in 2024. Listener growth will be relatively slow for every major audio platform, with iHeartRadio’s 4.5% bump leading the pack.

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Hundreds of millions of people listen to digital audio, and most of them also listen to podcasts
  1. Paid subscribers and subscription revenues are the backbone of the digital audio industry
  2. Daily time with digital audio will account for more than 10% of total time spent with media
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

US Digital Audio Listeners, by Platform, 2024 (millions)US Digital Audio Listeners, 2022-2028 (millions, % change, and % of population)
US Podcast Listeners, 2022-2028 (millions, % change, and % of population)US Podcast Listeners, by Platform, 2024 (millions)
US Paid Digital Audio Subscribers, 2022-2028 (millions, % change, and % of population)US Digital Audio Subscription Revenues, 2022-2028 (billions, % change, and % of digital audio revenues)
US Spotify Subscription Revenues, 2021-2026 (billions, % change, and % of digital audio subscription revenues)Average Time Spent per Day With Digital Audio by US Adults, 2021-2026 (hrs:mins, % change, and % of total time spent with media)
Average Time Spent per Day With Podcasts by US Adults, 2021-2026 (hrs:mins, % change, and % of total time spent with digital audio)Average Time Spent per Day With Select Media by US Active Users, 2024 (hrs:mins)

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authors

Ethan Cramer-Flood

Contributors

Paul Briggs
Principal Analyst
Oscar Bruce Jr.
Director, Forecasting
Jasmin Ellis
Forecasting Analyst
Donte Gibson
Senior Charts Editor
Penelope Lin
Director, Data Visualization
Oscar Orozco
Senior Director, Forecasting
Julia Woolever
Ali Young
Senior Copy Editor