54% of Brits Switch Platforms Mid-Listen as Audio & Video Boundaries Blur
by on 5th Nov 2026 in News
Audio is becoming ‘format-fluid’ as audiences move between audio and video platforms depending on what suits them in the moment. These are key findings of YouGov research commissioned by Audion, an AI-driven advertising platform specialising in digital audio.
The study also revealed:
● 54% of British people switch platforms when consuming audio, moving between audio and video, while 44% listen to video content without watching.
● Platform switching is also common internationally, reported by 58% of listeners in France, 62% in Italy and 74% in the US.
● Listening to video without watching is even more widespread outside the UK, with 64% of Italians and 66% of people in both France and the US doing so.
● Spotify listeners also use other platforms, including 65% in the UK and Italy, 74% in France and 76% in the US, highlighting the fragmented listening landscape.
Geoffrey Fossier, global CMO at Audion, says: "People care about what they listen to, not where they consume it. They move easily between audio and video, to the point that video, audio’s traditional rival, has become its biggest platform. That’s good news for consumers and for the channel, but the resulting fragmentation makes life harder for advertisers. We built Audion AI to treat audio and video as one channel so brands can reach listeners wherever they tune in."
Julien Chevignon, CEO Europe at YouGov, says: "These findings show just how much audio consumption habits have evolved. Listening is no longer defined by a particular device or platform, but by a moment and an intention. The fact that two-thirds of listeners use a video platform without watching the screen is the clearest illustration of this shift. It is a fundamental change that we see consistently across France, the US, Italy, and the UK."
Full results of the Audion research with YouGov are shown in the attached infographic.
Methodology: An exclusive YouGov and Audion online study conducted from 16 to 18 September 2026 among representative samples of adults aged 18 and over, drawn from YouGov’s proprietary panels. France: 1,009 respondents, including 765 digital audio listeners; USA: 1,465; Italy: 1,013; UK: 2,257. The estimate of 41 million digital audio listeners in France applies the 76% listening rate to the INSEE estimate of the adult population.
Follow ExchangeWire