Smart Speaker use increases in US during quarantine with over a third of US adults listening to more news and information since the COVID-19 outbreak according to recent research by NPR and Edison Research. The Smart Audio Report Spring 2020 found that 77% of those in the US age 18+ are experiencing a change in their typical routine due to the outbreak of COVID-19 following the 1st April, and voice-assistant usage has expanded during these disruptions.
With stay-at-home orders and the closing of nonessential businesses across the country from mid-March to the present, adults in the US are behaving in accordance with regulations. 41% of US adults say they are staying at home and not leaving unless it is an emergency, and 54% are only going to places they feel safe and/or are necessary. The Smart Audio Report measured how those affected by the restrictions are using voice assistants:
- 36% of US adult smart speaker owners say they are using their device more to listen to music and entertainment since the outbreak, and 52% of 18-34-year-olds say the same.
- 35% of US adult smart speaker owners are listening to more news and information since the COVID-19 outbreak, and 50% of those ages 18-34 say the same.
- Usage of voice commands in general has increased slightly since the COVID-19 outbreak, with 52% of voice-assistant users saying they use voice tech several times a day or nearly every day, compared to 46% before the outbreak.
Key findings include:
- Of those who use voice assistants, more than two-thirds say they ‘make their lives easier’.
- 46% of smart speaker owners say they use their smartphone voice assistant more since acquiring their smart speaker
- 59% of smart speaker owners who also use a voice assistant on their smartphone say the tasks they use for each of the devices are mostly different
- 52% of smart speaker non-owners who use some type of voice commands are likely or very likely to buy a smart speaker in the next six months — 34% of all smart speaker non-owners say they are likely or very likely to buy a device in the next six months
Tom Webster, Edison Research SVP, said “With tens of millions of Americans no longer commuting, smart speakers are becoming even more important as a conduit for news and information and this increased usage and facility with voice assistants will likely increase demand for this technology in vehicles once our commutes resume.”
Other findings from the research
Voice assistant technology is in a state of evolution, not revolution, as people are using more kinds of skills and using the technology on speakers, TVs, and other devices
- 63% of the total US online population 18+ say they use voice-operated personal assistants of any kind
- The voice technology in smart speakers is seen as slightly better than the same technology in smartphones, which may be due to operating systems, and environmental factors
Smart speakers with screens play a crucial role in skill discovery; audio-first devices are perceived as easier to use than audio-only devices
- Among non-owners of smart speakers, those who currently use voice assistants are 60% more likely than those who don’t to purchase a smart speaker in the next six months
![Podcast listening in US grew 20% in 2022 with the weekly listening average increasing from 2.7 hours in 2021 to 3.8 hours in 2022 according to Triton Digital. Triton Digital’s U.S. Year-End Podcast Report provides key insights into the growing US podcast landscape over the course of 2022. Key findings from the U.S. Year-End Podcast Report Podcast listening continues to grow, with a 20% increase in downloads in 2022. The average listener downloaded more than one hour more of content per week in 2022, in comparison to the prior year. Both Apple Podcasts and Spotify are leaders in where podcasts are consumed. Spotify has more listeners, but Apple has more total downloads and downloads per listener. Mobile remains the key podcast listening device. Smart speaker podcast listening has declined, returning to pre-Covid levels. News, Comedy, and True Crime remain the largest podcast genres. Significant consumption of back catalogue episodes exists, although varying by genre. Amongst the facts contained in the report, it now takes an average weekly download of 490K to make the top 51-100 position in the Podcast Top 100 chart and over 3 million downloads to get into the top 25. On average there were 226 million podcast downloads in the US with NPR News Now being the number 1 most downloaded podcast of the year. Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra was the top performing debut podcast of the year, launching in October with the highest number of downloads and listeners during a debut month. The report found that monthly podcast listeners are younger than the general population and are more likely to be male. They also tend to be more affluent, better educated and more diverse with 15% more Hispanic and 9% more Black/African American listeners than the general population. The complete 27-page report which is free can be obtained from Triton Digital here. Recent articles of interest [icon name="file-alt" style="solid" class="" unprefixed_class=""] US women want more female oriented podcasts [icon name="file-alt" style="solid" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Spotify reveals its 2022 Wrapped podcasts [icon name="file-alt" style="solid" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Podcast listening among US Latinos hits record high SOURCE: Triton Digital - Podcast listening in US grew 20% in 2022.](https://k4p2f2g6.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Podcast-listening-in-US-grew-20-in-2022-feat-326x245.webp)
