Perhaps that will change once radio is fully integrated into Home Speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. For now, Nielsen says more than two-thirds of AM/FM listening is done away from the home, when consumers are in their cars or shopping. 65% listen away from the home between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. and 75% are listening during PM Drive. Here’s more from Nielsen’s second-quarter 2017 Total Audience Report.
Nielsen says radio still reaches 93% of adults in the United States which is a strong stat for the industry with so many new ways to consume music and content and radio’s inability to reduce spot-loads and clutter. And, according to Nielsen, if you’ve created a bond with a listener, you’re likely to keep them listening longer. Americans spend 87% of their AM/FM radio listening tuned to their three favorite stations and 58% of all listening goes to a listener’s favorite station.
Breaking it out by formats, in 2017, Country and News/Talk were the top two, securing 13.6% and 12.2% shares of audience, respectively (of all radio listening nationwide, 13.6% went to Country stations, and 12.2% went to News/Talk).
The report’s data also showed that 76% of radio listeners are between the ages of 18 and 64 and working. Listeners who are employed full-time engage with radio 2.5 hours longer per week than listeners who are not. With the average commute to work in the U.S. at nearly 26 minutes, that’s a key stat to share with advertisers, because it will help them understand how and when they can engage with an attentive audience.
Should your advertisers be using radio year round to help build their brand? Here’s more data to share to help make your case. Nielsen says there is very little seasonal fluctuation when it comes to AM/FM radio. Over the course of the year, the monthly radio audience in Nielsen Portable People Meter markets changes by only around 10% from the most-listened-to month (May) to the least-listened-to (January). Radio listening is also consistent year round, with a very high reach and frequent usage among average listeners (5 out of seven days per week tuned in).
