Podcasts account for 9% of all time with ad-supported audio in Canada. Music on YouTube is more than 2.5x larger

Nine-in-ten Canadians listened to audio media yesterday, and half of that time was supported by advertising. These are among the key findings in Signal Hill Insights’ new report, Audio on the Move, Canada’s first holistic study providing the growing audio industry a comprehensive view of how and when Canadians are listening.

90% of Canadians aged 12+ say they listened to some form of audio media yesterday, including AM/FM radio, streaming music, music on YouTube, audio or video podcasts, SiriusXM, audiobooks, Stingray music channels on TV, and physical media. 49% of their time was spent listening to advertising-supported media.

More than three-quarters of their time – 77% – was spent listening to music, while 23% was spent with spoken word programming.

YouTube is becoming a top destination for audio consumption, as seen with consumers’ rising use of the platform for podcasts. The 2025 Canadian Podcast Listener shows 40% of monthly consumers use YouTube most often for their podcasts, more than any other platform.

Charting the forefront of this trend, Audio on the Move is the first study in Canada to measure advertising-supported music listening on YouTube and YouTube Music. The video platform now essentially ties all other streaming music services combined for share of advertising- supported audio listening.

AM / FM radio on all devices still leads ad-supported listening, claiming 39% of that time yesterday. Following in second place, 25% of ad-supported time went to music on YouTube or YouTube Music, while 24% was spent with streaming services like Spotify.

Based on a nationally representative survey of 6,161 Canadians aged 12+ in May and June, 2026, Audio on the Move asked respondents to report on their use of audio media yesterday. By recruiting a proportionate sample for weekdays and weekends, the sum total of the ‘yesterdays’ represents the average daily consumption of audio. All results are balanced for age, gender, education, language, and region (Ontario, Quebec, BC, AB, MAN/SK, NB/NS/NL/PEI).

“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.”

The first full Audio on the Move report is available by subscription, and includes:

• Full share of yesterday listening and share of ad-supported listening broken down by platform for Canadians 12+;
• Percent of Canadians using each audio platform monthly, weekly and daily;
• Percentage of ad-supported listening time, percentage of music vs. spoken word listened, and device used, per platform;
• Share of over-the-air vs. streamed AM / FM radio;
• A day in the audio life for AM / FM radio, streaming music, music on YouTube, and podcasts;
• Demographic profiles for each platform, including age, gender and household income.

More information on Audio on the Move is available at https://signalhillinsights.com/audio-on-the-move/