France's 43 Million Daily Listeners Are Blurring Radio, Streaming and Podcasts
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Mediametrie's new 'L'Annee Audio' finds 43 million people in France — 83% of 15-to-80-year-olds — listen to some form of audio every day, mixing live radio, streaming and podcasts into a single personalised habit that advertisers can no longer treat as separate channels.
What the Study Found
Mediametrie's L'Annee Audio for 2025-2026 puts a striking number on the nation's listening: 43 million people, or 83% of those aged 15 to 80, listen to at least one form of audio every day, rising to 50 million monthly.
Within that daily audio time, live radio still leads at 53%, followed by music streaming at 34% and podcasts at 10%. Podcasts are the fastest-growing slice: 48% of French people now listen monthly, up from 39% in 2023. Radio remains huge — 66% listen daily, for an average of two hours and 47 minutes.
Audio Is Becoming One Blended Behaviour
The real story isn't any single format; it's convergence. On a monthly basis, 77% of listeners combine live and on-demand content, 79% mix offline and digital, and 78% blend spoken word with music. People are building personalised listening journeys, not choosing a single platform.
Digital is quietly eating the delivery layer: 27% of radio listening now happens on digital platforms, up 10 points in five years, and the smartphone alone accounts for 16% of radio volume. Mediametrie's Emmanuelle Le Goff called audio 'the media of choice.'
Marketing Minute's Read: Plan for the Ear, Not the Format
Advertisers still buy audio in silos — radio here, podcasts there, streaming audio somewhere else — but listeners stopped living in those boxes long ago. The planning unit should be the listener's day, not the platform, which means thinking about audio as one connected touchpoint across moments rather than three separate line items.
There's a commercial wrinkle too: paid, often ad-free, audio has climbed from 21% to 25% of listening time. As ad-free environments grow, the moments where you can still reach an ear become scarcer — and therefore more valuable. Context and creative quality matter more, not less.
Quick FAQ
How many people listen to audio daily in France?
43 million — about 83% of those aged 15 to 80 — according to Mediametrie's L'Annee Audio, with 50 million listening monthly.
How is listening split across formats?
Of daily audio time, radio accounts for 53%, music streaming 34% and podcasts 10%; monthly podcast reach has risen to 48%, up from 39% in 2023.
What does it mean for advertisers?
Listeners blend live, streaming and on-demand into one habit, so audio should be planned around the listener's day rather than bought as separate channels.
We keep buying audio in boxes — radio here, podcasts there — while the listener long ago stopped living in them. Mediametrie's numbers say the planning unit is a person's day, not a platform. And as paid, ad-free listening grows, the moments you can still reach an ear are worth more, not less. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Listeners blend radio, streaming and podcasts into one habit — plan for the ear and the listener's day, not the format.
Is audio a line item or a strategy in your plan? Tell us how you're buying the ear in 2026.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: CB News; Mediametrie (L'Annee Audio).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
