Edison: Age a Key Factor in Podcast Ad vs. Subscription Appeal.

For podcasters contemplating whether to offer a subscription option, Edison Research has released a new data point that may help with the decision-making. It shows that the age of the people a podcast is trying to reach could have an impact on how successful the offering is.

Overall, Edison’s Share of Ear says nearly two-thirds (64%) of the U.S. population 13 and older spent most of their daily audio time with ad-supported audio sources like AM/FM radio and station webcasts during the first quarter. Slightly more than a third (36%) is spent with ad-free audio.

But someone’s age makes a difference. Edison says among 13- to 34-year-olds, 46% of their audio listening time went to ad-free content during Q1. “The strength of ad-free audio with this age group is not surprising considering that younger Americans spend more time on platforms that make removing advertisements easy and not terribly expensive, such as Spotify and YouTube,” Edison says in a blog post.

In contrast, a quarter of listening time went to ad-free content among people 55 and older during the first quarter. And those 35 to 54 years old fall in the middle, with slightly more than a third (35%) of their listening going to ad-free media.

While ad-free consumption is growing as there are more options to access audio without commercials, ad-supported sources still have a large share of the listening time. Edison says its Share of Ear data shows that ad-supported audio remains an effective way to reach consumers and increase brand and product awareness.