Over the past decade, podcasting hasn’t just expanded. It has reshaped how people spend their time.

Daily podcast consumption among adults has seen a nearly 4X rise over the last decade, surging from just 6% in 2015 to 23% in 2025 according to the latest Share of Ear report from Edison¹. This explosive growth is being driven by two distinctive factors :

Here’s the bigger question: in a world where time is fixed, where is that additional listening coming from? Data shows that podcast growth isn’t purely additive. It’s replacing other behaviors.

Nearly four in ten podcast listeners say the time they spend with podcasts is replacing time spent scrolling social media. Another 34% say it’s replacing time spent listening to streaming music.³

That’s intentional substitution.

Podcast engagement runs deep: Every single day, Americans spend more time with podcasts than they do on the social media platforms that we talk about dominating our lives. U.S. adults spend an average of 103 minutes per day listening to podcasts, outpacing TikTok (77 minutes), Facebook (69 minutes), and Instagram (65 minutes).⁴

Listeners spend more time with podcasts than streaming music as well. Podcast listening surpassed streaming music in 2023, and now commands an 11 point share advantage in daily digital ad-supported audio listening.

Not only are more and more listeners opting for podcasts over streaming music, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to reach streaming music listeners with advertising. Edison data indicates that music listeners have been  migrating to ad-free subscriptions, shrinking the pool of reachable, ad-supported audiences.

The digital  balance of power has shifted. And it’s about more than just reach. It’s about the depth of audience engagement.

When consumers choose podcasts over scrolling or background streaming, they’re opting into something different: longer-form content, trusted hosts, and deeper engagement. Podcasts are sought not served, and listeners look forward to new episodes. Their favorite podcast hosts build deeper connections than social-first influencers, and have the power to change the way they think about brands. 

That influence drives action. In fact, a remarkable 76% percent of podcast listeners say they have purchased a brand after hearing a podcast host-read advertisement.⁵

For marketers, podcasting  is more than a growth story. It’s a  brand-building success reality. It is the opportunity to sit at the center of the most compelling, highest engaged and perhaps most influential medium today. That is why EMarketer is projecting podcast advertising will break $3 billion this year and will account for over 40% of all digital audio advertising by 2027.⁶

At a time when media fragmentation makes advertising effectiveness a challenge, podcasts offer a powerful way to connect with highly engaged consumers. For brands focused on sustained growth, the key consideration is no longer if they should utilize this medium, but rather how swiftly they establish a valuable presence within it.