As television continues to get the bulk of football season ad spend from brands, a new case study from Cumulus Media and Westwood One is showing how one advertiser used audio NFL coverage on AM/FM and streaming to reach 23.8 million fans during the 2024 season.
The study tracked one brand that advertised throughout all 22 weeks of the regular season and postseason, including the Super Bowl. Nielsen conducted what it called a “panel unification” of its 80,000-person Portable People Meter service, analyzing the same participants over the full NFL schedule. The approach allowed for a unique look at cumulative advertiser reach across the season.
The advertiser’s Westwood One NFL campaign grew significantly, climbing from 2.1 million reached in the first week to 18 million by the end of the regular season. The postseason delivered an additional 5.8 million, bringing total campaign reach to 23.8 million.
Nielsen’s analysis found that across the season, Westwood One’s NFL play-by-play reached 64 million Americans. Cumulus reports that approximately half of NFL audio coverage consumption occurs on AM/FM radio and half through streaming and satellite distribution.
The network emphasizes five strong suits for why NFL audio coverage can perform so well: a highly engaged sports audience, mass seasonal reach, strong in-car listening, a desirable consumer profile, and the ability to extend the reach of NFL television campaigns. The findings are supported by ten additional case studies from the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, covering categories ranging from quick service restaurants to telecom.
This builds on new research from Vision Insights Decoder Fan Insights and Nielsen Scarborough, showing 82% of sports podcast listeners and 81% of sports talk radio and play-by-play audiences identifying as avid fans. That compares to 79% of game highlight TV viewers, 78% of social media followers, and 77% of live game TV viewers. The lower share of casual fans underscores audio’s role in reaching the most committed segment of the sports audience.
