How Digital Audio Drives Attention in a Multi-Screen World

We are living in the attention economy. Between the ping of email notifications, the endless scroll of social media feeds, and the chatter of the TV, the average consumer’s focus is pulled in a dozen directions at once, and attention has become the new currency. 

While visual media maintains the fight for eyeballs in an increasingly cluttered landscape, digital audio offers a unique reprieve. The channel doesn't demand that consumers stop what they are doing to engage. Instead, it accompanies them throughout their day, creating immersive, intimate connections during moments when they can’t or don’t want to be on their screens.

In the modern advertising landscape, simple exposure is no longer enough. Audiences need a reason to engage, and brands can’t afford not to resonate. Here is why digital audio is the most effective medium for capturing genuine attention in a multi-screen world.

The attention challenge for modern marketers

The days of solely reaching a mass audience with a single TV or AM/FM radio spot have shifted, what with the many avenues of reaching modern consumers. Today, audiences are juggling time spent with audio, connected TV (CTV), traditional linear TV, social media feeds, and the open web.

Media fragmentation has created a paradox: We have more ways to reach people than ever before, yet it has never been harder to fight for their attention and dollars. The average household now subscribes to over five video streaming services, yet 48% of adults 18+ say they have a hard time keeping up with them. The result is high churn and a scattered audience that is difficult to pin down.

Attention is a finite resource, and every platform is fighting for a sliver of it. Advertisers who continue to rely solely on screen-based strategies are finding themselves paying more for diminishing returns. To survive and thrive, brands must adapt by finding channels where attention isn't just rented for a split second but genuinely earned and maintained. Hint: That channel is none other than digital audio. 

Why audio commands focus when screens can’t

Visual media requires a consumer to stop what they are doing and look, swipe, or tap. Meanwhile, audio moves with the listener, creating opportunities for connection during screen-free moments and presenting key benefits for advertisers.

Audio minimizes screen fatigue

Let’s face it: Our eyes are tired. Between Zoom calls, spreadsheets, and doom-scrolling, visual overstimulation is real. Audio offers a reprieve from all the screens at our disposal. This channel creates a more relaxed, receptive state of mind for your brand's message. In fact, 58% of streaming audio listeners say that audio helps them escape from too much visual stimulation.  

Consumers listen to audio while multitasking

Allowing consumers to multitask while keeping them entertained is one of audio’s superpowers. You can’t safely watch a video while driving, and you can’t effectively read an article while cooking dinner. But you can listen. Thanks to its screenless nature, digital audio accompanies listeners during active, engaged moments throughout their day. This allows advertisers to be present in daily routines where visual ads simply cannot go.

Audio integrates into the imagination

Audio’s ability to enhance the consumer's imagination is a phenomenon known as the "theater of the mind." Without visuals in front of them to paint a picture, the listener constructs personalized imagery in their head based on their memories and life experiences. 

For example, when a podcast host describes a product or an audio ad features sound effects to set a scene, the brain works to fill in the blanks. This active cognitive participation creates a deeper neural encoding of the message, making it more memorable than a passive viewing experience while boosting ad recall.

How digital audio outperforms visual media in engagement

The assumption that "Seeing is believing" may have previously driven advertising spend. Now that it’s 2026, we’d argue that the new version of this is "Hearing is connecting." When we look at how digital audio fares in the attention economy, audio consistently punches above its weight. For instance, 79% of audio listening takes place when visual media isn’t available. This means audio is reaching consumers in an entirely different lane where there is zero visual competition. 

And when visual media is available? Consumers are opting for other channels. Linear TV viewership fell below a 50% share for the first time in 2023, while consumers are spending 43% less time watching TV. By contrast, digital audio listening continues to grow, with listeners clocking in four hours and 27 minutes daily with media like streaming audio and podcasts.  

Additionally, audio ads have also been shown to beat out benchmarks across video, TV, display, and social by over 50%. While social platforms are prone to a user’s reflexive "scroll past" behavior, audio ads end up garnering more attention. 

Adopt these creative best practices for audio attention

Capturing consumer attention is one thing, but keeping it and converting it is another. To truly leverage the power of audio to fight fragmentation, marketers need a strategic approach to realize the medium’s potential.

Take advantage of one complete ecosystem

Your audio strategy should be as diverse and comprehensive as our all-in-one ecosystem. By leveraging the breadth of the SiriusXM Podcast Network, SiriusXM Streaming Network, and SiriusXM, you can follow your target listener throughout their day. They might start their morning with a news podcast on our podcast network, tune in to a talk channel in the car midday, and later pivot to the Dance Cardio station on Pandora in the evening. 

The modern listener has diverse entertainment interests and might enjoy a mix of music genres and podcasts. By tapping into our comprehensive network—which includes leading streaming audio platforms (Pandora and SoundCloud) and heavy-hitting podcast networks (Unwell, Team Coco)—you can ensure that you’re present at every touchpoint of the listener's journey.

Combine multiple platforms for incremental reach

The real magic happens when you mix formats. Thanks to incremental reach, and virtually no audience overlap with SiriusXM Media, you might reach one segment of your audience on streaming music and a completely different segment on podcasts or SiriusXM.

Consider these stats:

• +142% incremental reach: Achieved by adding streaming audio and podcasts to a SiriusXM campaign

• +89% incremental reach: Achieved by adding SiriusXM and podcasts to a streaming audio campaign

Diversify media budgets across platforms

A true cross-channel approach recognizes that no single platform owns the customer journey. By diversifying your media budget to include a robust audio strategy, you ensure that your brand is audible when it isn't always visible. 

Spreading your budget across audio, video, social media, and display ensures you can capture different segments of your audience at different times, creating a surround-sound presence that keeps your brand top-of-mind. Instead of competing against one another, these channels can work in tandem, filling in the gaps that others leave behind. 

Drive real attention with SiriusXM Media

When attention is the most competitive currency, relying solely on screens can’t be the only strategy. Instead, combine visuals and audio for a balanced, future-proofing approach. Media and audience fragmentation may not be going away, but they can be navigated better.

Digital audio offers a direct line to your audience in moments where visual media simply cannot reach them. By leveraging a powerful ecosystem that combines the power of streaming audio, podcasts, and satellite, you can achieve the incremental reach necessary to grow your brand. 

Don't let your message get lost in the visual noise. Ready to capture real attention? Let’s chat.

For more audio advertising insights