As one of America’s most popular sporting events, nothing evokes passion like NCAA basketball and March Madness. According to Nielsen, eight out of 10 fans say they follow the tournament right to the final. One-third of them admit that when it comes to NCAA March Madness, they “love it” and are “completely passionate about the tournament.”

The sport captivates rabid college hoops fans and casual followers alike. Today’s consumers want to follow their favorite NCAA basketball teams, including when they are outside the home.

Nielsen studied Westwood One’s 2018 NCAA basketball audiences in Portable People Meter markets. Here are four reasons why Westwood One’s NCAA basketball is such an attractive environment for advertisers who want to reach a highly engaged fanbase.

Westwood One NCAA basketball builds across the entire season to reach an astonishing 28 million listeners.

From the first tip-off to the excitement of the Final Four, NCAA basketball on Westwood One builds reach by bringing in new listeners each week. Throughout the regular season, the reach of Westwood One’s NCAA basketball broadcasts grows by five times.

During March Madness, reach grows by 36% between the first and second rounds and the championship game. This insight shows that advertising throughout the season gives brands the opportunity to achieve a massive cumulative reach of 28 million consumers.

Westwood One NCAA basketball attracts new listeners, delivering incremental reach.

Each week, a different group of passionate college hoops fans tune in to Westwood One’s NCAA basketball play-by-play to follow their favorite teams. The result? Advertisers who buy across the entirety of the season receive massive incremental audience reach.

Westwood One’s NCAA basketball coverage continually brings in new fans each week. During the conference championships leading up to March Madness, 27% of the audience was made up of new listeners. Throughout March Madness, Westwood One attracts new listeners just waiting to be reached with a consistent marketing plan.

Westwood One NCAA basketball coverage delivers consumers away from home.

AM/FM radio is the original away-from-home medium, and college hoops fans follow Westwood One’s NCAA basketball coverage when they are active and on the go.

Across the entire season, at one time or another, 86% of listeners catch Westwood One NCAA basketball radio broadcasts while they are out and about. That’s an incredible 24 million consumers who can be reached by brands while they are closer to the point of purchase.

The Westwood One NCAA basketball audience has high incomes, is full-time employed, younger, and more male.

Westwood One’s NCAA basketball coverage delivers a covetable, upscale audience. AM/FM radio appeals to the busy, employed consumer on the go. That’s one of the reasons why the NCAA basketball audience has a higher income and is more likely to be full-time employed than the total U.S. population.

NCAA basketball audio consumers are also younger than the total TV and AM/FM radio NCAA audience. 43% of the NCAA basketball audio audience falls in the 18-39 age bracket, compared to 33% of the total NCAA basketball audience. This group is also more male. 65% of NCAA basketball audio listeners are men compared to 59% of the total NCAA basketball audience.

Partnering with Westwood One on an NCAA basketball marketing campaign offers advertisers the opportunity to reach huge groups of incremental audiences who are following their favorite teams while out of home.

Key takeaways:

• Westwood One NCAA basketball builds reach across the entire season
• Westwood One NCAA basketball attracts new listeners, delivering incremental reach
• Westwood One NCAA basketball coverage delivers consumers away from home
• The Westwood One NCAA basketball audience has high incomes, is full-time employed, younger, and more male

Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer at CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.