Country music is a truly American phenomenon that has grown immensely popular over the last decade—particularly on the radio. Nielsen’s new Audio Today Report took stock of the top radio formats in America last year, and for the eighth consecutive year, Country came out on top when ranked by share of total listening. According to our analysis, 13.6% of all radio listening in the U.S. went to a Country-formatted station.
Country has been the top-ranked format since 2009; the last time it was bested was in 2008, when News/Talk was the top format by share of audience. News/Talk held steady at No. 2 last year, followed by Pop Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), Adult Contemporary and Classic Rock.
For additional insights about the audio landscape, download the latest Audio Today Report.
Data used in this article is inclusive of multicultural audiences. Hispanic consumer audiences are composed of both English and Spanish-speaking representative populations.
