Arbitron Reveals Sports Report: PPM Radio Listening

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

Arbitron said Wednesday that its new division, Arbitron Sports, released the first report of Portable People Meter (PPM) Play-by-Play Estimates for Pro Football. "The Arbitron Sports Report: PPM Listening for Pro Football" covers in game, play-by-play estimates for the 2009-2010 pro football season and includes 25 teams in 23 markets where the PPM has been commercialized.

Results are available to subscribing agencies, advertisers, stations and teams. With these reports, advertisers are better able to evaluate the considerable audience sports play-by-play has throughout the season and in multiple markets across the U.S.

"While only one football team wins the Super Bowl, each professional team in those 23 PPM markets can consider their in game broadcasts winners this year," said Chris Meinhardt, Arbitron Sports Manager. "Those teams with play-by-play broadcasts have believed for years radio was an integral part of a fan's experience. Now, thanks to the level of audience detail provided by the PPM ratings service we can see that passion and loyalty with each professional team averaging more than 100,000 listeners for each broadcast."

Highlights from the report include:

The Chicago Bears were tops in average game audience with 626,600 listeners. The New York Giants were second with 457,000 listeners per game followed by the Philadelphia Eagles with 422,400 listeners.

The PPM ratings service shows not only enormous amounts of listeners, but shares of listening that dominate local markets. In Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Boston, Minnesota and Baltimore, the In Game broadcasts average more than 40 shares among all Men aged 25-54.

"What you see is ratings that closely resemble those in broadcast television for sporting events," Meinhardt added. "Often regardless of a seasonal record, fans follow their team and radio provides opportunities for fans on the go."

Arbitron Sports will also be releasing 2009 professional baseball listening averages in early Spring 2010.