79% of U.S. adults consumed digital audio in the past 30 days, while new research shows listeners move between audio and video, platforms and formats
HAVEWRTOWN, PA, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Digital audio may be treated as a distinct media channel, but consumers routinely move across the platforms and formats that define it, according to a new study conducted by YouGov for Audion.
The research found that 79% of U.S. adults 18+ listened to digital audio in the past 30 days, representing more than 200 million adults. Among digital-audio listeners, however, the more notable shift is where and how they listen now.
Sixty-six percent of U.S. digital-audio listeners say they sometimes or often use a video platform to listen without watching the screen. YouTube is also the leading platform U.S. respondents say they mainly use for digital audio, cited by 61% of listeners, ahead of Spotify at 46% and Amazon Music at 23%.
Listening is similarly fluid between platforms. Seventy-four percent of U.S. digital-audio listeners have started content on one platform and finished it on another. And even among Spotify users, 76% also use at least one other platform.
Together, the findings point to a digital-audio ecosystem increasingly shaped by consumer behavior rather than traditional distinctions between audio, video and individual platforms.
Key U.S. findings include:
– 79% of U.S. adults 18+ listened to digital audio in the past 30 days, representing more than 200 million adults.
– 66% of U.S. digital-audio listeners sometimes or often use a video platform to listen without watching the screen.
– 61% cite YouTube among the platforms they mainly use for digital audio, compared with 46% for Spotify and 23% for Amazon Music.
– 76% of Spotify users also use another digital-audio platform.
– 74% of digital-audio listeners have started content on one platform and finished it on another.
– Digital audio is embedded throughout the day, with 52% listening during their morning commute, 43% while cooking and 33% while working out.
Comparative data from the other markets in the study points to the same broad pattern of multi-platform listening, with meaningful differences in which platforms lead and how frequently listeners move between them. In the U.S., YouTube leads digital-audio platform usage, while nearly three-quarters of listeners have continued content on another platform.
“Listeners aren’t making the distinctions the industry traditionally makes between audio, video and individual platforms. They follow content throughout their day and move between environments depending on the moment. For advertisers, that creates an opportunity to think about audio around audiences, context and outcomes rather than treating each platform as a separate strategy,” said Mike Villalobos, Chief Revenue Officer at Audion.
Julien Chevignon, YouGov CEO, Europe added, “These findings show just how much listening habits have evolved. Listening is no longer defined by a device or platform, but by a moment and an intention. The fact that nearly two in three Italian listeners use a video platform without watching the screen is the clearest example of this shift. It’s a fundamental change that we’re seeing consistently across Italy, France, the United States and the UK.”
YouGov conducted the study online using its proprietary panels from September 16–18, 2026. The U.S. research included a representative sample of 1,465 adults 18+, with a focused sample of 1,158 digital-audio listeners. Comparative research was also fielded in France, Italy and the UK/Great Britain market; final UK/GB terminology is pending client confirmation.
About the study
For the purposes of the research, digital audio includes music streaming; live radio via the internet; radio replays and podcasts; native or independent podcasts; and audio content consumed on YouTube without watching the video. Learn more here.
About Audion
Audion is an advertising technology company that makes digital audio a measurable, performance-driven media channel. Its proprietary AI and contextual technology helps advertisers make audio a more measurable, performance-driven channel, analyzing audio and video content to inform contextual targeting, activation and optimization across premium digital environments. Founded in 2018 by Arthur Larrey and Kamel El Hadef, Audion works with more than 3,000 advertisers and agencies and operates across key markets in Europe and the United States.
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