Case Study: How Radio Amplifies TV Frequency

September 15, 2015 By Brandon Berman

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series about NFL and sports listening on the radio by Brandon Berman, SVP of Sports Sales and Marketing at Westwood One (pictured). Read part I.

This past weekend, millions of fans tuned in to America’s favorite sport, the NFL, on multiple platforms — including Westwood One’s exclusive coverage on radio stations across the country. Advertisers are excited by the return of football, as they are guaranteed high ratings with virtually no time shifting, making NFL TV advertising a powerful media vehicle.

At Westwood One, we’ve been researching radio and television cross-media advertising exposure, so we can inform our advertisers of the best way to reach NFL fans. We already know that sports radio fans are an influential and engaged group of consumers.We teamed up with Nielsen to showcase with Nielsen the power of adding radio to an existing NFL TV schedule.(Read our previously released results here: “NFL on Westwood One Reaches 1 out of 5 Men 18-49 America“)The majority of NFL TV viewing (81%) comes from 40% of NFL viewers.Nielsen divided NFL viewers into five equal groups from light to heavy. In the illustration below, each guy on the couch represents 20% of the American NFL TV viewing audience.

Source: Nielsen, October 2014

NFL TV viewing distribution varies dramatically. Half of all NFL TV time spent (54%) comes from 20% of NFL viewers!

For an NFL television sponsor, 80% of ad impressions come from 40% of the NFL viewers. The other 60% of the NFL television viewers receive only 19% of the advertising impressions.

That’s where radio can help add even more frequency to the campaign.

Historic radio and TV cross-media campaign analysis

Using the Portable People Meter panel, Nielsen analyzed the campaign of an advertiser who invested in both TV and radio campaigns across the NFL 2014 season. Since the TV and the radio ad exposure was measured from the same national Portable People Meter panel, Nielsen could measure cross-media reach and frequency.

The key takeaway?

Radio makes your TV better: radio amplified frequency most among those with the lightest exposure to the television campaign.

Westwood One NFL helped boost frequency among the 60% who are only lightly reached by the NFL campaign. The Nielsen cross-media study revealed radio tripled frequency among light TV viewers.

Radio almost doubled frequency among the medium light TV viewers. Frequency among medium NFL TV viewers grew by 42% thanks to radio.

Radio makes your TV better.

This new research shows how radio can enhance any TV campaign, amplifying your brand message to reach even more people, more frequently.

Brandon Berman is senior vice president of Sports Sales and Marketing at Westwood One.

Find out more about our NFL coverage at www.westwoodonesports.com.