Never Before Seen Nielsen AM/FM Radio Streaming Data: A Growing Percentage Of AM/FM Radio Listening Comes From Streams; Streaming Audiences Are Upscale And Employed; Vast Majority Of Streaming Audience Resides In The Home DMA
While audio streaming of AM/FM radio has been around for over 25 years, the proportion of total listening coming from the stream was, until recently, in the single digits. No longer.
With Nielsen’s introduction of the headphone enhancement to their Portable People Meter service in October 2020, streaming now represents 11% of total AM/FM radio listening among 12+ Americans. Among persons 25-54, streaming represents 12% of AM/FM radio listening.
First ever Nielsen study: An examination of all U.S. AM/FM radio streaming captured by the Portable People Meter
Nielsen recently produced a new study which examines all streaming behavior captured by the Portable People Meter from the recently released February 2022 survey. Currently broadcasters in Nielsen’s PPM markets can elect to have their online streams reported separately or combined with their over-the-air audiences via “total line reporting.”
A large amount of streaming listening in Portable People Meter markets is combined with the over-the-air audience. As such, it has never been possible to examine all AM/FM radio station streaming in the U.S.
Spoken word streaming shares are nearly double their over-the-air shares
Spoken word AM/FM radio stations streams (News/Talk, Sports, Talk/Personality, Spanish News/Talk) represent 36% of all American streaming listening. That is +89% greater than spoken word station over-the-air shares (19%).
From the February 2022 Portable People Meter survey, News/Talk station streams have a 22.7% share of all U.S. online listening followed by AC (13.4%), Contemporary Hit Radio (9.2%), and Sports (7.2%).
How important are streaming audiences? For some AM/FM radio programming formats, streaming represents 25% to 30% of all listening
The percentage of persons 25-54 listening to each AM/FM radio programming format that comes from the stream across Nielsen’s 48 PPM markets is significant for a number of formats:
- 30% of listening to Album Adult Alternative and Classical stations comes via the stream.
- 27% of listening to Talk/Personality stations comes via the stream.
- 25% of listening to Album Oriented Rock and News Talk Information stations comes via the stream.
- 22% of listening to Sports stations comes via the stream.
- 17% of listening to All News stations comes via the stream.
- 15% of listening to Pop Top 40 stations comes via the stream.
The vast majority of the AM/FM radio streaming audience resides in the home DMA market
Marketers can purchase time on AM/FM radio station streams knowing most of the audience is from that home market. An analysis of 321 AM/FM radio station streams separately reported by Nielsen finds 89% of streaming audiences come from home market stations.
Sports stations have 83% of streaming audiences coming from the home DMA market, slightly lower than the norm as out-of-town listeners craving news and discussion on their favorite local teams listen to the stream of sports stations.
AM/FM radio streaming audiences are employed, upscale, and most are 35-64
The streams of AM/FM radio stations are highly desirable to advertisers. Compared to the over-the-air AM/FM radio audience in Nielsen’s 48 Portable People Meter markets, streaming audiences are:
- +14% more likely to be employed full time
- +30% more likely to have a $75K+ household income
- +11% more likely to be aged 35-64
Key takeaways:
- A growing percentage of AM/FM radio listening is coming from streams
- For some AM/FM radio programming formats, streaming represents 25% to 30% of all listening
- The vast majority of the AM/FM radio streaming audience resides in the home DMA market
- AM/FM radio streaming audiences are employed, upscale, and most are 35-64