Radio Remains the Nation's Reach Leader
America’s Consumers continue to spend time across an expanding mix of media platforms, but radio remains one of the most effective ways to reach Americans at scale. According to Nielsen Audience Insights, AM/FM radio reaches 87% of U.S. adults each week, maintaining one of the broadest audiences of any media platform. Among younger consumers, radio's advantage is even more pronounced: 81% of Adults 18-34 are reached weekly, higher than every other measured media platform.
Despite ongoing shifts in media consumption, radio continues to provide advertisers with broad, consistent reach that complements consumers' increasingly fragmented media habits.
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RADIO DELIVERS BROAD REACH ACROSS DIVERSE AUDIENCES
As consumers continue to expand their media habits across more platforms, radio remains one of the few media capable of delivering broad reach across virtually every audience. In fact, Nielsen Audience Insights shows that radio also delivers exceptional reach among Black Adults 18+ and Hispanic Adults 18+, strongly performing against other measured media platform within these audiences. For advertisers looking to connect with America's increasingly diverse consumers, radio continues to provide unmatched scale and efficiency.
Radio remained remarkably consistent year over year, with stable listening across all other measured audiences.
TELEVISION SAW A SEASONAL REBOUND
Television viewing rebounded in Q1 2026 (from Q4 2025), led by Black Adults 18-49, Black Adults 18-34, and Adults 65+. The increase reflects Q1's typical seasonal lift, driven by marquee events including the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.
SMARTPHONE USAGE GROWS ALONGSIDE RADIO
Daily smartphone App/Web usage increased by an average of 1 minute, 28 seconds in Q1 2026, with the largest gains among Black Adults 18-34 and Black Adults 18-49. The growth reinforces that consumers are adding digital media to their routines, not replacing radio.
AS MEDIA CONSUMPTION GROWS, RADIO CONTINUES TO DELIVER
The latest Nielsen data reinforce an important reality for advertisers: media consumption is expanding rather than shifting from one platform to another. While television experienced a seasonal rebound and smartphone engagement continued to grow, radio maintained its position as one of America's most powerful reach vehicles. With 87% weekly reach among Adults 18+ and industry-leading reach among Adults 18-34, radio remains uniquely positioned to deliver mass audiences while complementing television, digital, and mobile campaigns.
