Based on Nielsen’s first two PPM surveys reflecting the move from a five- to a three-minute quarter-hour qualifier, audience levels for January and February are the highest since 2022 and up 13% year-over-year, with growth in average audience across all dayparts for total persons as well as Black and Hispanic listeners.
“[It’s] exactly what we would have expected. It’s in range of what we saw with the test data last year,” Nielsen Audio Managing Director Rich Tunkel said during RAB’s webinar focusing on the change.
Digging deeper into the January and February survey data, other Nielsen findings include year-over-year average quarter-hour listening increases for all but two PPM markets — with 29%-35% lifts for Western U.S. markets such as Phoenix, San Diego and Riverside-San Bernardino, CA — and AQH increases for all major formats, with all news, classical, rhythmic CHR, Spanish regional Mexican, CHR and hot AC up anywhere from 20%-38%.
Additionally, daily and weekly time spent listening increased as much as 14% year-over-year for key demographics, with those boosts higher for most Hispanic demos. “Those extra couple minutes that weren’t credited previously are now being captured, so that’s why, at a time spent level, we are seeing very clearly that the time spent with radio is increasing across all of these groups,” Nielsen Audio VP, Audience Insights Jon Miller said.
An analysis of the top 10 stations in five PPM markets shows increases in average quarter-hour ratings and daily cume during key weekday dayparts, when comparing the last three three-survey averages. “The fact that PPM markets are the top markets, and we’re seeing gains in those top markets, means on national buys, those that care about top market index will see greater percentage of their audience coming from those top markets,” Tunkel said. “That’s a good thing for radio.”
An analysis of Nielsen’s findings from the advertising side during RAB’s webinar gave more good news, such as an increase in employed listeners 25-54 year-over-year, from 88% to 90%, vs. 63% for the general population. “Radio continues to deliver employed, engaged and loyal audiences, and I think that really is the holy grail for advertisers,” DMR Interactive President and CEO Andrew Curran said. “Radio really over-indexes in the people that we want, which are the people with disposable incomes and upward mobility.”
Noting that future Nielsen trends will compare surveys based on the three-minute qualifier with each other, The Center for Sales Strategy’s CEO Matt Sunshine urged stations to use Nielsen’s trends to their advantage. “Every sales organization ought to be having conversations with business owners to talk about the exact measures of success that they’re looking for. It’s [also] a great reminder, especially when we when we have this going in our advantage, [to] ask your clients for referrals. And third, build case studies, success stories. The stations that will win will be the ones that can point to the results that they’re getting for the clients that they serve.”
Sunshine also reminded stations that “this is great news. There is no downside here, it’s only upside. Now, take advantage of it. Don’t just sit on the sidelines and watch it happen, because you’ll miss out.”