Fresh data from Katz illustrates the massive appeal of NFL action on live radio and the tight bond fans have with radio play-by-play announcers. The rep firm’s NFL Fan Study shows how radio delivers an engaging local fan experience, and the preference fans have for the hometown call of the game.
For its NFL 2023-2024 Season Wrap-Up Study, Katz Radio Group surveyed 800 NFL fans in search of what radio, specifically, has to offer in a world where games are available on several TV stations and video streaming services.
“Radio is an anywhere medium, available on-the-go, giving fans access to games where and when TV, and other video sources, cannot,” the study concludes. But there’s more to it than that. “It is also where fans can find the most exciting, passionate, and local announcers.”
The study finds that NFL play-by-play listeners overwhelmingly acknowledge that their favorite team’s radio announcing crew does an excellent job calling the game, bringing the game to them when they can’t be at home to watch.
However, fans’ appreciation of play-by-play announcers goes beyond just the institutional knowledge and easy-to-grasp coverage they bring to the game. Radio broadcasters have an innate ability to make fans feel. Katz found that listeners across the U.S. connect with the passion and excitement that radio announcers bring to the game. “Announcers sound like local fans, often with local accents, and express genuine feelings for the home team, ‘as opposed to TV, which is neutral,’” Katz says in a recap of the study. “And a great radio announcer’s voice can convey an immersive experience for listeners, that ‘makes you feel like you’re at the live game itself.’”
The study quotes verbatim comments made by NFL fans that participated in the survey. “Their enthusiasm… makes me feel like I am seeing the game in person,” said a New York Giants listener. “Their dialog and description of the game makes you feel like you are there,” added a Miami Dolphins listener. And a Cincinnati Bengals listener noted, “They are on top of the play calling, game analysis and make you feel like you are a part of the game.”
While conventional wisdom suggests that sports fans tune in the game when they are away from home and unable to watch it, research conducted earlier by Nielsen and reported by Inside Radio suggests some fans are turning down the sound on the TV and using set-top box DVR functionality to synch the telecast to the radio call of the game to hear beloved hometown sportscasters call the action. A Nielsen analysis of the first week of the 2023-2024 season revealed that 20% of the NFL radio audience was actually listening from the comfort of their homes. The numbers are based on an average of 6+ cume figures from the 30 NFL radio broadcasts measured in PPM markets. “Some listeners may have a strong attachment to their local announcers and find it unbearable to listen to other play-by-play teams,” John Snyder, Senior VP/Sales Director at Nielsen, who has analyzed sports radio listening trends for broadcasters and teams, told Inside Radio.
Katz also explains how radio’s immersive and engaging experience fosters impactful results for brands. Earlier findings from Katz’s NFL Fan Study show most listeners are receptive to in-game advertising. Eight in ten (79%) listeners surveyed reported that they noticed the brands and services that advertised during NFL games, 65% were willing to use those brands that advertised during their favorite team’s games, and 70% had a better opinion of brands that sponsor and support their favorite team — all more than the average fan.
“Radio, with the passion and excitement of its beloved announcers, is able to transport listeners, connecting fans to the action,” Katz says in a Sound Answers blog post summarizing the study. “Brands that choose to be part of that action are creating valuable links to locally embedded teams and gaining the opportunity to have their brand names mentioned alongside consumers’ favorite brand: the home team.”
In addition, a Nielsen analysis of all 30 NFL teams during the 2022-2023 season measured by PPM demonstrated the power of the NFL in not only drawing massive audiences but also in attracting some of the most desirable consumers. “There are dozens of streaming services playing Taylor Swift, but only one flagship station broadcasting the local NFL team,” Snyder said.