Audio Video News

AM/FM Reaches More Listeners than Streaming Audio Services

SV Staff  |  Aug 24, 2015

Recent studies by Nielsen and others reveal that the audience for AM/FM radio greatly exceeds listening via streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify, according to a report by Advanced Television.

The study, commissioned by a number of radio-based media groups to investigate advertiser perceptions of audio consumption in the U.S., found that the weekly reach of radio—based on Nielsen ratings—is 93 percent versus the 64 percent estimate used by advertisers.

The study also noted that while advertisers perceive the audience of Pandora and Spotify to be similar to AM/FM, radio’s audience is actually nine times that of Pandora and 17 times that of Spotify. Another key finding was that radio reaches more Millennials compared to TV—93 percent versus 71 percent.

CBS Radio President Andre Fernandez was quoted as saying radio’s reach has “remained consistent despite new forms of audio programming and an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Streaming has proven to be a popular platform, but not at the expense of radio’s growing total audience.”

Read the full report here.

Chime in: How often (and where) do you listen to radio? Leave a comment.

COMMENTS
dnoonie's picture
Submitted by dnoonie on August 24, 2015 - 4:07pm

I still listen to the radio mostly in the car but stream podcasts on my phone as well.

At home it's strictly streaming but a small amount of that streaming is of broadcast radio...How does that count?

On the job 65% streaming. Customers mostly use streaming and some have license agreements to stream for the events I work on. My customers clients often bring music on a portable playback device. DJs and audio operators often have their own playlists on portable devices, records, CDs, etc. Some customers stream DJ mixes that were used previously...How does that count?

Cheers,

canman4pm's picture
Submitted by canman4pm on August 25, 2015 - 11:13am

I still listen to the radio for local content: weather, traffic, concert announcements, calendar of events, etc. The only downside is that most radio stations have limited playlists, so you tend to hear the same music over and over. My wife's car has Sirius satellite radio, which (per station) is even worse. Lithium (90's grunge/alternative), for example, is over 50% dominated by 8-10 bands playing around 100-200 songs.

hk2000's picture
Submitted by hk2000 on August 25, 2015 - 9:04pm

Radio will always be relevant for sports/talk shows and news- especially on the road. Personally I don't listen to the news, but listen to sports radio in the car all the time.

X