Live Sports ‘Engages’ Audience, Arbitron Finds

Arbitron also put out research indicating that live radio sports broadcasts “generate a superior level of audience engagement.”
During the Miami Dolphins 2005 season, 53 percent of WAXY(AM) listeners were more likely to stay turned in during a commercial break while listening to a Dolphins game than during regular programming, it found.
The study was conducted for the station.
One in four adults in the Miami Metro Area tuned to a radio broadcast of the Dolphins during the season. Over half of those who listened to at least one game have a more positive response to advertisers who support their local team. It also found that game attendance is “strongly reinforced” by radio.
“Advertisers are beginning to focus on how consumer engagement effects ROI and this research shows that live sporting events dramatically increase audience engagement with radio,” stated Arbitron’s Bill Rose.