If you’re an advertiser looking for a March Madness audience that is younger, wealthier, and more invested than those watching on TV, it’s time to turn your ads over to radio, according to new statistics on NCAA fan engagement, audience quality, and advertising impact.
Nielsen data shows that 93% of college basketball fans listen to AM/FM each month, and 53% of those who follow the NCAA tournament away from home tune into Westwood One’s radio coverage. As analyzed by the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group, radio’s NCAA audience skews younger and more affluent than television’s. The average listener is 48, five years younger than the average TV viewer.
They also hold a median household income of $117,000. Nearly 60% are employed full time, 25% are college graduates, and 39% have children at home, underscoring the medium’s reach among prime household decision-makers.
Radio fans also display greater passion and engagement. Among men’s tournament listeners, 64% rate their fandom eight or higher on a ten-point scale and follow 21% more games per season than television viewers. Among women’s tournament listeners, radio fans are 41% more likely to follow additional games and 30% more likely to mute TV broadcasts to listen to AM/FM play-by-play.
In addition, 44% of Westwood One listeners are weekly basketball bettors, with an average wager total exceeding $1,000.
The Audio Active Group also shows that audio advertising tied to its network coverage outperforms television in ad recall, brand lift, and purchase intent, particularly among younger, mobile audiences. Nielsen Brand Effect data shows that audio delivers a +4% incremental reach beyond video and amplifies message frequency by 33%.
For brands seeking more Madness for less moolah, radio continues to provide a championship combination of passion, portability, and performance across both linear and digital audio
