Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Nielsen: An Audio Playbook for the Big Game


Just in time for the big game, Nielsen took a look at the connection that fans have on the local level with their NFL football teams and the broadcasters through the lens of its Portable People Meter (PPM) data for February 3 last year. Nielsen found an interesting phenomenon that occurs each year in the hometowns of the two participating Super Bowl teams: the local radio audience tends to spike at different times than TV viewership does, specifically just before kickoff and immediately after the game ends.

In reviewing the data from last year's Super Bowl XLVII, Ravens and 49ers fans really wanted to hear the perspectives of their local radio sportscasters and personalities in the moments leading up to the game, and then afterward to either commiserate the loss or celebrate the win with the same hosts they're accustomed to hearing week in and week out.

In Baltimore, starting around 5pm, or 90 minutes before kickoff, the radio audience to the flagship station broadcasting the game more than tripled (a 255% increase), while the main sports station's audience across town jumped 62 percent. Then, as soon as the game ended, the radio audiences spiked again: 326 percent for the flagship station and 65 percent for the sports station.

On the other side of the country in the bay area, the main sports station in San Francisco that was carrying the game followed a similar pattern: the audience grew by 55 percent for kickoff and 68 percent after the game concluded.

Whether it was to bask in the glory of Baltimore's second championship in franchise history, or to wallow in despair following the 49ers' first ever defeat in a Super Bowl, sports fans sought out and found that local connection on the radio on Super Bowl Sunday, just as they will this year in Denver and Seattle.

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

CMG Launches Relief Drive for Flood-Ravaged Hill Country
Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group
In response to the severe storms and flooding that swept through the Texas Hill Country last week, Cox Media Group San Antonio and Gunn Automotive Group have launched the "Help the Hill Country" relief drive to support affected families. Starting today and running through Saturday, July 12, members of More

NuVoodoo Study Reveals Radio Still Dominates In-Car
NuVoodoo Media Services
NuVoodoo Media Services
As fall ratings approach, NuVoodoo Media Services has released findings from its latest Ratings Prospects Study, revealing that while streaming platforms like Spotify continue to gain ground, traditional AM/FM radio still commands a leading position in the car. The study, which More

Leadership Change at Times-Shamrock as Loftus Retires
Diane Sutter
Diane Sutter
Times-Shamrock Communications is entering a new era of leadership following the retirement of CEO Jim Loftus, who steps down after 18 months in the role and a career spanning decades in Pennsylvania radio. The company has appointed board member Diane Sutter as Acting CEO and expanded the responsibilities of More
Advertisement

Study: Audio Ads Key to Reaching Passive Job Seekers
Cumulus Media and Westwood One
Cumulus Media and Westwood One
A new study from Cumulus Media | Westwood One's Audio Active Group reveals that ad-supported audio -- particularly AM/FM radio and streaming -- is a powerful tool for reaching both active and passive job seekers, with important implications for recruitment advertisers. The national survey, conducted by More

Kevin Winter Heads to UoF for New Role at WRUF
Kevin Winter
Kevin Winter
Former ESPN Radio anchor and studio host Kevin Winter has found his next chapter following his departure from the network earlier this year. In a Facebook post, Winter revealed that he has accepted a position at the University of Florida, with his new role set to begin July 11. While the university has More

Ryan Ermanni Joins WJR-AM in Detroit as Afternoon Host
Ryan Ermanni
Ryan Ermanni
Longtime Detroit media personality Ryan Ermanni joins News/Talk WJR 760 AM as its new afternoon on-air host. Ermanni will be heard weekdays from 2-4pm, starting Monday. Well-known to local audiences from his two decades at WJBK (FOX 2 Detroit), where he co-hosted the station's late-morning talk show "The More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement