A year ago, we examined Ofcom’s Audio Listening in the UK 2025 report and explored its implications for advertisers navigating an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Twelve months later, the latest report tells a familiar story.
Ofcom confirms that digital audio is one of the most powerful ways for brands to reach consumers – not simply because of new channels or rapid growth, but because it’s now embedded in everyday life. In a world where attention is scarce, this matters more than ever.
93% of UK adults now listen to some form of audio every week, this rises to 98% among 16-34-year-olds – very few media channels can claim that kind of reach (we think that figure alone should make advertisers take notice). So, the question isn’t whether your audience is listening, it’s whether your brand is being heard.
Ofcom also reported that the average adult spends 14.5 hours listening to audio every week. Among regular listeners, that figure exceeds 24 hours, because once audio becomes part of someone’s routine, it becomes a habit. People listen while commuting, while working, while exercising, while relaxing at home – digital audio accompanies consumers throughout the day in ways that many other media channels simply can’t.
One of the most interesting findings from this year’s report is how varied listening habits have become. Adults now listen to an average of 2.3 different types of audio every week, rising to 2.5 among 25-44 year-olds, with the most-used online audio services being YouTube, Spotify, BBC Sounds, Amazon Music and Apple Music. The report also highlights the continued growth of digital audio among younger audiences. Nearly half of 16-34 year-olds stream music online several times a day, while podcasts, audiobooks and social audio continue to attract strong engagement.
This reflects a wider trend in media consumption, particularly among Millennial and Gen Z audiences, as switching between platforms has become second nature. Rather than choosing a single platform, audiences are moving seamlessly between services depending on where they are and what they’re doing, forming a broader audio ecosystem. For advertisers, that’s an important reminder that audio planning shouldn’t focus on individual channels in isolation. Consumers certainly don’t.
Another trend worth noting is what’s happening in the car. Live radio’s share of in-car listening has fallen across every age group over the past three years, signalling how technology is making streaming services, podcasts and other forms of digital audio easier to access while on the move. The car dashboard is becoming another competitive audio environment, and for brands, that’s significant. The car has always been one of the most valuable listening environments, but the difference today is that consumers have more choices than ever before.
Taken together, the findings point to a simple conclusion: audio is a fundamental part of modern media consumption. Consumers are listening across multiple platforms, throughout the day, and often for many hours each week. The opportunity isn’t just to reach those audiences, but to do so with the targeting, measurement and accountability that modern digital technology provides. A year on from our breakdown of Ofcom’s 2025 report, the message feels even stronger; the window is there, your audience is there, and they’re waiting to hear from you.
