Nine-in-10 Canadians listened to audio yesterday with half of that time spent with ad-supported media led by AM/FM radio, according to Signal Hill Insights’ latest Audio on the Move report.

The holistic study, based on a nationally representative survey of 6,161 Canadians aged 12+ in May and June, offers a comprehensive view of how and when Canadians are listening.  

According to the survey, 90% of Canadians listened to some form of audio media yesterday across AM/FM radio, music streaming, music on YouTube, audio or video podcasts, SiriusXM, audiobooks, Stingray Music channels on TV, and physical media.

Ad-supported listening made up 49% of their time spent listening, led by AM/FM radio across all devices, which claimed 39% of that time. YouTube and YouTube Music claimed 25% of ad-supported time, followed by Spotify at 24%.

More than three-quarters of Canadians (77%) spend their listening time with music, while 23% of that time was dedicated to spoken word programming. 

Signal Hill says YouTube is continuing its upward trajectory as a destination for audio consumption, with the platform now essentially tying all other music streaming services combined for share of ad-supported listening.

“Audio is a fundamental part of nearly every Canadian’s daily life,” said Matt Hird, Vice President of Research for Signal Hill Insights. “Yet, as the rising use of YouTube for music  listening demonstrates, their audio choices and preferences continue to shift dynamically.  Audio on the Move is designed to objectively map the listening landscape so that  broadcasters, publishers, advertisers and agencies have the most accurate view of consumer behaviour to inform their audio strategies.”