Our forecast data reveals a mismatch between marketers who have been quick to transition to digital platforms, and consumers who are still spending time on traditional media like TV, newspapers, and radio. This year, 74.6% of all US ad spending will go toward digital media, while US adults will only spend 62.1% of their daily media time with digital, according to our forecast.

Daily time spent with total audio—including broadcast radio, music streaming (including audiobooks), and podcasts—fell 11.5% between H1 2022 and H1 2023. Broadcast radio lost 10 minutes YoY. It fell below 1 hour daily (59 minutes) for the first time since GWI started tracking it in 2019.

Western Europe is the world leader in three traditional media activities: radio, newspapers, and magazines. It also leads in ownership of two established digital device categories: PC/laptop and tablet. Those are the same five categories in which Western Europe topped the rankings in 2022. The region also leads in time spent on broadcast radio for the second year running.

Younger generations inherit a love for radio while embracing digital audio. Radio reaches over 90% of the US Hispanic population, per Nielsen. Mexican regional music is the top format for ages 18 and older, likely driven by the 32% of Hispanic consumers who are immigrants (down from 37% in 2010).

The total for audio formats including radio, music streaming, and podcasts declined, amounting to 3:56 in H1 2023, down 9 minutes YoY. The decline is likely due to limitless programming choices across alternative formats like social media, video, and TV. Radio time fell off the most, losing 7 minutes and dropping to 1:04 this year. Since 2019, daily radio time has dropped by 12 minutes.

Radio listenership had a penetration rate of 70.9% in H1 2023, far outpacing the regional average of 45.9%. Time spent with broadcast radio jumped to 1:01 daily in H1 2023, well above the regional average of 37 minutes. The availability of radio stations in many languages (including Malay, English, Chinese, and Tamil) boosts radio consumption in Malaysia.

They lead Latin America in radio listening, newspaper and magazine reading, and live TV viewing. They also lead in feature phone ownership. Like Chile, Colombia is No. 2 in time spent across activities that span traditional and digital media. These are PC/laptop/tablet, mobile, broadcast radio, and print press.

Radio, in particular, is often overlooked despite the very significant amount of time it still takes up each day. Among activities, TV remains on top, but a plethora of digital options takes up huge chunks of daily time. Every digital activity will see at least a small uptick in time spent in 2024.

Radio listenership is also the lowest here. Less than half (44.8%) of respondents listened to the radio in H1 2023. By comparison, North America and Western Europe had much higher listenership, at 74.2% and 75.5%, respectively. Device Ownership: Where the Region Trails the Rest of the World. Asia-Pacific has the lowest rate of PC/laptop ownership in the world with 52.5% in H1 2023.

Radio is more popular in Poland than anywhere else in the region. An 81.1% penetration rate gives the country a lead of at least 7 percentage points on its neighbors, and the population reports spending an average of 1:46 per day with broadcast radio. This makes it the second most popular form of entertainment, excluding social/messaging. Poland has the highest rate of game console ownership.

Currently, Tractor Supply’s in-store efforts center around TV screens and a radio station that plays across the store, but there’s lots of room for growth, Lockton said, from in-store signage to the retailer’s tentpole events like its Spring Black Friday sale (taking place through April 21) or Cyber Week deals. This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter.

In 2023, time spent with digital audio will overtake time spent with traditional radio for the first time—but both formats are hugely popular. US adults will spend an average of 1:22 with digital audio every day this year and 1:21 with traditional radio. Commensurate ad spending, however, remains elusive. Audio is among the most popular ways to spend time in the US.

In 2021, more than three-quarters of the time that US adults spent listening to ad-supported audio went to AM/FM radio. Podcasts trailed way behind traditional radio, capturing just 11% of ad-supported listening, while Pandora, SiriusXM, and Spotify each accounted for less than 10%. AM/FM radio held a majority share across adult age groups and was the most listened-to ad-supported audio not only in the car (88%), but also in the home (72%) and workplace (68%).

More than half of internet users in Canada ages 16 and older polled by Leger ranked traditional media sources like print newspapers and live radio as more trustworthy than social media. Brands are turning to influencers to overcome this trust problem. Internet users in Canada were more skeptical about information found on social media than those in America.

Apple’s intensifying in-house push: It already designs its own processors, and now it looks like Apple is moving to make its own Wi-Fi and 5G radios, displays, and touchscreens, reducing reliance on suppliers.

Hear how Pinterest is doing and whether they're close to being acquired. For "In Other News," we discuss an interesting stat about Target and Amazon's new app that lets you DJ your own radio show. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Andrew Lipsman.

On today's episode, we discuss Spotify's impressive Q3, podcast listenership in the US, and how traditional radio is able to be so resilient. "In Other News," we talk about why sports betting will never be free of controversy and why Airbnb says its search-averse marketing strategy is working. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

Similarly, 214.0 million radio listeners will tune in for an average of 1:41 per day this year—yet radio will only take 3.0% of all ad dollars. We have broken out digital gaming for the first time. Previously, we only estimated time spent with mobile gaming apps, but now we have metrics for all gaming across all devices.

And the stat is that consumers spend over one in five minutes of their time, total time with media, one in five with audio, and that includes sort of traditional radio, linear radio, but digital audio which has become the majority time there, so one in five. Actually it's a share that has been dropping.

Even though recent strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are over, it will take months, if not years, to break through the content logjam. The number of new shows produced this year will likely decline again, according to entertainment executives who spoke to The New York Times.

Gen Z adults are less likely than adults overall to watch traditional TV or listen to the radio. A greater share of US adult Gen Zers (ages 18 to 26) cited streaming video, streaming music, and playing video games as daily activities compared with the general adult population, while the opposite is true for watching traditional TV and listening to AM/FM radio, according to the Morning Consult survey.

Digital audio minutes now outpace radio minutes. The gap is 22 minutes this year, a spread that says more about the growth of streaming music and podcasts than it does about a drop off in radio. Radio is fairly stable—only in slight decline, sustained by commuters in cars and the resumption of in-person work post-pandemic.

Media: Includes businesses primarily engaged in radio and television broadcasting (network and station), such as commercial, religious, educational, sports, and other radio or television stations. Includes print media (newspapers, magazines, and classifieds). Also includes establishments primarily engaged in publishing.

Listenership has shifted from mainly terrestrial radio to digital audio streaming and podcasts. In addition, social media has changed consumer behavior. Digital’s share is now higher than we expected. We raised our digital forecast to reflect emerging channels like CTV and retail media. Digital ad spending will be C$16.19 billion ($11.99 billion) in 2024, 7.9% higher than we forecast last year.