With linear TV sliding, Audacy is putting numbers behind a simple fix: move a slice of budget into AM/FM and streaming. Even small shifts extend reach, add impressions, and lift efficiency, helping brands find light-TV audiences without increasing total spend today.
New data from Nielsen reveals that 60% of US adults now fall into the “light” or “zero TV” viewer category, yet TV still commands the lion’s share of most ad budgets. Audacy argues this disconnect fails to reflect how quickly audiences have moved toward content that better fits modern life on the go. AM/FM radio alone reaches 77% of these light or non-TV viewers.
Using March 2025 data for adults 21–49, Nielsen simulated a media plan that reallocated 15% of TV spend to radio. The result: impressions nearly doubled from 11.7 million to 21 million, and net reach climbed from 44% to over 70% with no increase in total spend.
Audacy highlights similar results in real-world case studies. A national insurance brand that moved just 10% of its TV budget into the Audacy Audio Network and Premier Network Radio saw a 49% boost in reach with minimal impact on TV performance. A Miami-based law firm improved its reach from 44% to 71% after integrating Audacy radio into its campaign.
The broadcaster also emphasizes the compounding power of layering audio with Over-the-Top video, as streaming now accounts for nearly half of all weekly ad-supported TV viewing.
The case for rebalancing gains further support from Spring 2024 Nationwide and Comspoint data. Across every Gross Rating Point threshold, AM/FM outperformed TV in adult 18+ reach. At 100 GRPs, radio hit nearly 60% of the audience, compared to under 40% for TV. At 300 GRPs, radio reaches almost 80%, while TV plateaus around 60%.
Building even further, Katz Radio Group found 40% of US adults 18+ are light users of both TV and the internet, placing them in an “engagement gap” beyond the effective reach of many traditional ad campaigns. Yet radio breaks through, reaching 87% of light TV viewers and 90% of light internet users, making it a powerful channel for connecting with otherwise hard-to-reach audiences.
