Radio is still king of the car but a multitude of audio options mean a different in-car listening landscape. According to Edison Research's Larry Rosin's 2018 Radio Show presentation, "Miles Different: In-Car Audio 2018," a look at AM/FM radio in-car and the total in-car audio landscape, the automobile is as important as ever and the top location for audio listening. Even though broadcast radio remains the king of in-car audio, consumers have many more options for audio in cars, and as such, they use more options. So, drivers of the newest cars are... "miles different."
Rosin says the agent of change is SiriusXM and satellite radio. In Edison's Share of the Year study in 2003, satellite radio account for only 1% of in-car listening, but today SiriusXM garners 15% of listening in the auto. 40% answered yes to listening to MP3s/smartphone in the car, while 23% said they listened to digital files on a flash drive. When asked in 2003 if listeners had head of satellite radio, 41% said yes, today 86% say yes.
