The Autumn 2025 wave of RAJAR’s Audio MIDAS survey shows the UK consumption of audio across radio, podcasts, on-demand music and connected device listening.
MIDAS is designed to explain when, where and how adults engage with audio across platforms, going beyond traditional radio measurement to support industry planning, advertising and content strategy.
It covers total audio consumption, including live radio, catch-up services, podcasts and music streaming, tracking behaviour by device, location, activity and demographic group.
RAJAR’s latest report paints a picture of a stable but evolving audio landscape, with some of the findings below:
Ninety five percent of UK adults, around fifty-five million people, listen to some form of audio each week, with total weekly consumption now reaching 1.6 billion hours, a ten percent increase since Autumn 2023.
Average listening time sits at 29.3 hours per person each week, underlining audio’s continued role in daily routines.
Live radio remains central, accounting for sixty four percent of all listening hours, while on-demand music takes eighteen percent and podcasts eight percent.
Podcast listening continues to grow steadily. Weekly reach now stands at twenty four percent of adults, with the average podcast listener spending nine hours a week listening, equivalent to 127 million podcast hours across the UK.
On-demand music services reach thirty eight percent of the population, with listeners spending an average of thirteen hours a week.
Usage is particularly strong among younger audiences, with sixty seven percent of fifteen- to twenty-four-year-olds using on-demand music platforms.
Connected devices play an increasingly important role in how audiences access audio.
Smartphones dominate both podcast listening, with an eighty two percent share, and on-demand music, where they account for sixty six percent of listening.
Listening habits also vary by context. More than half of on-demand music listening now takes place outside the home, while podcasts are overwhelmingly a solo experience, with ninety three percent of listening hours consumed alone.
Comedy remains the most popular podcast genre overall. Men are more likely to choose news and politics content, while women show significantly higher engagement with true crime podcasts.
