Nielsen ratings just released the most-listened-to radio formats during the first half of 2026. The rankings compiled by Nielsen offer a granular look into listener data.
Nielsen breaks down the ratings by day (Monday-Sunday, 6 am-midnight), and listener ages range from 18-34 and 25-54.
So, what are people listening to too?
According to the info, news/talk remains at the top overall, with adult contemporary (AC) coming in second.
AC’s popularity comes from age groups 18-34 and 25-54.
Among ages 25-54, news/talk comes in behind AC.
While adult contemporary is popular, Nielsen says the ratings have been flat year-over-year. And news/talk ratings vary, but their listenership has also slowed down year over year.
The best format that sees continued growth among radio listeners is (CC) Contemporary Christian.
Nielsen says CC has the best growth of all among all the age groups. And those numbers have held steady since 2022.
Classic hits and modern/alternative rock are generally up in all age groups. Classic hits are mostly focused on a broad mix of 1970s–1990s pop, soul, and pop-rock former top 40 singles.
But the two radio formats that have been taking a hit are classic rock and Spanish regional Mexican. Those 2 groups’ numbers have been on the decline.
Classic rock focuses heavily on guitar-driven, blues-based hard rock from the late 1960s through the 1980s.
