Internet radio is measured through several related but different lenses: online audio, online or live-streamed radio, total radio, platform use and digital audio advertising. The figures below make those definitions, populations, geographies and periods explicit so that internet-radio trends are not confused with broader streaming behavior.
Key Internet Radio Statistics
The most broadly useful internet radio statistics include:
- In January 2025, 79% of the U.S. population age 12+ listened to online audio monthly, an estimated 228 million people.
- In January 2025, 70% of the U.S. population age 12+ listened to online audio weekly, an estimated 210 million people.
- In 2025, 90% of U.S. adults ages 18–34 listened to online audio monthly.
- In 2025, 63% of U.S. adults age 55+ listened to online audio monthly.
- In January 2025, Spotify reached 35% of the total U.S. population age 12+ monthly.
- In January 2025, 55% of U.S. adults who drove or rode in a car used online audio in their primary car.
- In Q4 2024, online platforms represented 27.0% of UK all-radio listening.
- In Q4 2024, UK total online radio reached 44.0% of adults age 15+ weekly.
- In Q4 2024, UK total online radio generated 279 million hours.
- In 2024, BBC Sounds was used by 42% of UK adults age 16+ who listened to online radio.
- In 2024, online music accounted for 32% of home listening hours among UK monthly music-radio or online-music listeners.
- In 2024, 81% of Australians age 12+ listened to total radio weekly.
- In 2024, 27% of Australians age 12+ listened to online or live-streamed radio weekly.
- From 2022 to 2024, streaming-radio listening in Australian cars rose 75%.
- From 2020 to 2024, smart-speaker ownership in Australia doubled.
- In 2024, U.S. digital audio advertising revenue reached $7.6 billion.
- In 2024, U.S. digital audio advertising revenue grew 8.5% year over year.
Contents
- U.S. online-audio growth
- U.S. audience, brands and car listening
- UK reach, hours and platform share
- UK services and listening locations
- Australian adoption and in-car listening
- Internet radio advertising and measurement
U.S. Internet Radio Statistics: Online-Audio Growth
The Infinite Dial 2025 surveyed 5,020 U.S. people age 12+ in January 2025 through telephone and online interviews, with results weighted to the national 12+ population. Its online-audio measure includes AM/FM stations available online and audio streamed only on the internet, so it is broader than internet radio alone.
| Year or period | Monthly online audio | Weekly online audio | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 44% | — | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2018 | 50% | — | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2019 | 53% | — | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2020 | 57% | — | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2021 | 60% | 53% | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2022 | 64% | 57% | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2023 | 68% | 60% | U.S. age 12+ |
| 2024 | 73% | 62% | U.S. age 12+ |
| January 2025 | 79% | 70% | U.S. age 12+ |
Source: The Infinite Dial 2025. Annual figures are survey estimates, and online audio is broader than internet radio.
In January 2025, the survey estimated 228 million monthly online-audio listeners and 210 million weekly listeners in the U.S. age-12-plus population. These are estimated people, not a count of unique internet-radio-only users.
U.S. Internet Radio Data by Age, Brand and Car Listening
Monthly online-audio listening varied substantially by age in January 2025. The measure remains broader than internet radio, but it shows how online audio participation differs across adult age groups.
| U.S. adult age group | Monthly online-audio listening, January 2025 |
|---|---|
| 18–34 | 90% |
| 35–54 | 87% |
| 55+ | 63% |
Source: The Infinite Dial 2025. Percentages are survey estimates among the specified U.S. adult age groups.
Among the total U.S. population age 12+, monthly brand reach in January 2025 was 35% for Spotify, 28% for YouTube Music, 17% for Pandora, 16% for Apple Music and 15% for Amazon Music. These are online-audio brand measures, not internet-radio-only figures, and the services also include non-radio music.
Car listening provides another context. Among U.S. adults who drove or rode in a car during the last month, 55% currently used online audio in their primary car in January 2025, compared with 74% who used AM/FM radio; AM/FM is included as broadcast-radio context.
The age split in that in-car population was 82% for adults ages 18–34, 62% for ages 35–54 and 31% for adults age 55+ using online audio in their primary car. The Infinite Dial 2025 describes these as vehicle-use survey measures.
UK Internet Radio Statistics: Reach, Hours and Platform Share
RAJAR/Ipsos/RSMB measured UK radio listening in Q4 2024 among adults age 15+. All-radio figures include listening across platforms, while online figures refer to live-radio listening through websites, apps and smart speakers.
| UK measure, Q4 2024 | Result | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| All-radio weekly reach | 87.2%, or 50.272 million | Adults 15+ |
| All-radio hours per listener | 20.6 hours | Per listener per week |
| All-radio total listening | 1,033 million hours | UK, all platforms |
| Total online-radio weekly reach | 44.0% | Adults 15+ |
| Total online-radio listening | 279 million hours | UK live-radio listening |
Source: All Radio Listening Charts Q4 2024. All-radio and online-radio measures should not be treated as interchangeable.
Online platforms accounted for 27.0% of UK all-radio listening in Q4 2024. Website and app radio represented 10.9%, while smart-speaker radio represented 16.1%.
Digital platforms together accounted for 72.2% of all-radio listening, but that broader digital category includes DAB, digital television and online listening. It therefore describes digital radio more broadly than internet radio.
UK Online Radio Statistics by Service and Listening Location
Ofcom’s 2024 survey reported service use among UK adults age 16+ who listened to online radio; the reported base was 838 online-radio listeners. Respondents could select services, so the percentages are not exclusive market shares.
| Service or group | Use among UK online-radio listeners, 2024 |
|---|---|
| BBC Sounds | 42% |
| Global services | 33% |
| Spotify | 30% |
| YouTube | 29% |
| Amazon Music | 26% |
Source: Ofcom Audio Report 2024. Global services are the NET Global grouping of Globalplayer and individual Global station websites or apps; the other platforms also carry non-radio audio.
Among UK online-radio listeners ages 16–34, BBC Sounds reached 31%, while Global services and YouTube each reached 39% in 2024. This is an age-subgroup survey result, not a percentage of all UK adults.
Listening location also changes the mix. Among UK adults who listened monthly to a music radio station or online music service, online music accounted for 32% of listening hours at home in 2024, compared with 26% for AM/FM radio.
Australian Internet Radio Statistics and Digital-Audio Adoption
The Infinite Dial Australia 2024 uses weekly measures for radio and audio sources and a monthly measure for podcasting. Its total-radio measure combines broadcast and streaming, while online or live-streamed radio is the direct internet-radio measure.
| Australian audio measure | 2024 result | Period or population |
|---|---|---|
| Total radio, broadcast plus streaming | 81% | Weekly, age 12+ |
| Online or live-streamed radio | 27% | Weekly, age 12+ |
| Ad-supported Spotify | 16% | Weekly, age 12+ |
| Podcast listening | 48% | Monthly, age 12+ |
Source: The Infinite Dial Australia 2024. Podcasting uses a monthly base, unlike the weekly radio measures.
The 2024 study reported that online streaming among Australian adults ages 25–54 doubled over three years, from 2021 to 2024. It also reported a 75% rise in streaming-radio listening in Australian cars over two years, from 2022 to 2024.
Smart-speaker ownership doubled over four years in Australia, from 2020 to 2024. Ownership is an adoption proxy rather than a direct measure of listening incidence.
The study reported radio as the top in-car content choice, with a 76% higher listening rate than other sources. It also reported 81% weekly radio reach in Australia, 27% higher than the corresponding U.S. measure cited in the presentation; the report’s study-defined populations and measures make this a reported comparison, not a causal difference.
Internet Radio Advertising Statistics and Measurement Limits
IAB/PwC reported $7.6 billion in U.S. digital audio advertising revenue in 2024, including podcasting, streaming music and streaming radio. The combined category grew 8.5% year over year, so the figure is not internet-radio-only revenue.
| U.S. advertising measure | 2024 result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Digital audio advertising revenue | $7.6 billion | Podcasting, streaming music and streaming radio |
| Total internet advertising revenue | $258.6 billion | All internet advertising |
| Podcast advertising revenue | $2.43 billion | Podcast advertising |
| Podcast advertising growth | 26.4% year over year | 2024 vs. 2023 |
| Podcast share of digital advertising | 0.9% | 2024 |
Source: Digital Ad Revenue Surges 15% YoY in 2024, Climbing to $259B. IAB/PwC reports company-supplied and public corporate data; PwC states that it does not audit the information and provides no assurance.
For broader market context, total U.S. internet advertising revenue rose 14.9% year over year in 2024. Digital video represented 24.0% and search represented 39.8% of total U.S. digital advertising revenue, neither of which is an audio measure.
These scope distinctions matter when interpreting internet radio statistics: online audio can include internet-only streams, online simulcasts and non-radio music; online-radio reach can mean live radio on digital platforms; and digital-audio advertising can include podcasts and streaming music alongside streaming radio.