Sports radio listeners are twice as likely as non-listeners to support brands that back their favorite teams, according to a Vision Insights’ Decoder study, and now Audacy is using the findings to make its case against national television for athletic ad dollars.
The data comes from a survey conducted in August through October 2025 in the US.
Among the report’s findings: radio sponsors score higher on memorability than TV sponsors among both avid sports fans ages 18 to 34 (144 vs. 135) and any sports fans in that age group (122 vs. 114). Sports radio listeners are also more than twice as likely as non-listeners to say they feel positively about a brand that supports their favorite team (61% vs. 26%), and twice as likely to say they will support that brand in return (40% vs. 20%).
According to Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group analysis, the number of sports-formatted AM/FM stations increased 14% over the past decade, adding more than 100 outlets nationwide. Revenue share climbed faster. Sports stations accounted for 9.3% of total AM/FM ad revenue in 2016; by 2025, that figure reached 12.8%, a 38% gain in share, per Miller Kaplan.
Edison Research reports AM/FM radio accounts for 61% of all sports audio consumption, well ahead of podcasts and satellite radio, with in-car listening driving the majority of over-the-air usage.
