ESPN Audio Nearly Half of Sports Radio Listenership

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, March 7, 2018

ESPN Audio

ESPN Audio's content -- the ESPN Radio Network's talk shows and live events, affiliated local broadcast radio stations and podcasting -- accounts for nearly half (46%) of all sports radio listenership in the U.S., according to the most recent "Share of Ear" survey by Edison Research. In addition, the survey showed that one in five reported listening to ESPN Audio's programming weekly -- nearly 50 million Americans.

Among ESPN Audio listeners, 71% listened on broadcast AM/FM radio, the highest percentage. Forty-six percent of listeners said that they listened via streaming audio while 26% used SiriusXM and 25% listened to podcasts. (Numbers add up to more than 100% as users could cite multiple choices.) In addition, time spent listening climbed in 2017 for all four platforms.

"ESPN provides premium voices and premium sporting events across as many devices as possible so it's exciting to see that sports fans spend half their time with us," said ESPN Audio VP/Multimedia Sales John Fitzgerald. "In a fragmented media world SHARE matters. We work diligently with our advertisers to use that to drive performance for their brands and will continue to look for ways to engage with sports fans and their consumers."

Edison President Larry Rosin commented, "ESPN consistently remains a major player in sports listening, reaching nearly one-fifth of Americans every week through their audio content - broadcast radio, satellite radio, streaming, and podcasts."