Fresh insights from Nielsen’s January PPM ratings highlight an unexpected initial winner in traditional radio listening trends. While drive-time listening growth was widely anticipated, the real surprise comes from weekends – a notoriously unloved daypart for sales.
Nielsen’s updated three-minute qualifier for PPM markets is reshaping the radio landscape by providing a more accurate measure of listener behavior. The rule, introduced in the most recently published survey, grants full credit for listening sessions of just three minutes or more within a quarter-hour – down from the previous five-minute requirement.
This shift is driving double-digit growth in reported audiences, especially during high-traffic periods.
Analysis by Westwood One Vice President of Research Scott Anekstein shows that drive times and weekends experienced the most substantial increases in average quarter-hour audiences. Comparing data from January 2024 to January 2025 across 47 PPM markets, the study highlights how shorter, frequent in-car listening sessions – such as during errands, school drop-offs, or short commutes – are now captured by the updated PPM methodology.
According to Nielsen, in-car listening constitutes the majority of away-from-home radio usage, with weekends leading at 79% and drive times at 73%. The alignment between these figures and the PPM data underscores the impact of the three-minute qualifier in better capturing these brief listening moments.
Beyond overall audience growth, the updated PPM system also showed a shift in AM/FM’s demographic profile to a much-sought-after younger listener base. All major buying demographics, except for those aged 65 and older, now show a higher composition of listening. The 25-54 and 18-49 age groups, which are highly valued by advertisers, have seen the most significant gains, though young demographics have historically been the most volatile.
Despite the methodological changes, format shares across the 47 PPM markets have remained stable. The January 2025 survey showed only minimal changes compared to October 2024 data, with Adult Contemporary formats gaining 0.6 share points and Urban formats losing 0.6. An increase in News/Talk format listenership appears to be driven more by a busy news cycle – including major weather events and a new presidential administration – than by the PPM adjustment itself.
Nationally, Nielsen’s Nationwide service, which combines PPM and diary market data, recorded a 3% increase in total AM/FM listening among the 25-54 demographic and a 2% rise among 18-49s. PPM markets, representing about one-third of the U.S. population, now account for 38% of total AM/FM listening in the 25-54 demographic, up from 36% in October 2024.
This growth in top market listening is a significant development for national advertisers, as PPM markets traditionally reported lower listening levels compared to diary markets due to the more precise measurement of the Portable People Meter.
Ultimately, the updated methodology could accelerate radio’s ongoing trend of surpassing linear TV in ratings. In 2023, AM/FM’s ratings among 18-49 audiences were famously already 12% higher than those of TV. The new PPM data suggests that radio could also overtake TV in the 25-54 demographic, reinforcing its position as a preferred media platform for advertisers.
More information can be found via the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group.
Join Radio Ink for the inaugural Radio Masters Sales Series webinar, “The 3-Minute Difference: Nielsen’s New Rule and You,” on Thursday, March 6 at noon ET, sponsored by Marketron. RSVP here for this free sales event.
